On December 11, 2011 at 11:16 UTC the Russian "Proton-M” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The rocket equipped with the "Briz-M” booster orbited the "Luch-5A” communication satellite and the "AMOS-5” communication satellite.
The Russian "Luch-5A” satellite will provide connections to lower-orbiting spacecraft beneath it, like the Russian segment of the International Space Station and the country's other satellites when they are flying outside of ground-based tracking stations. Manufactured by the Russian Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Co., Luch-5A spacecraft weighs about 950 kilograms and has a 10-year design life.
The AMOS-5 is the latest spacecraft in the growing communications fleet for Israeli operator Space-Communication Ltd. of Tel Aviv. Built by the Russian Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Co., the satellite is outfitted with C- and Ku-band transmission beams to blanket Africa and connect with Europe and the Middle East. Direct television broadcasting, cellular telephone routing and Internet are among the services to be offered through AMOS- 5 satellite, which has a 15-year service life.
It was the 372nd Proton rocket launch since 1965, as well as the 9th this year. Attachments: | 
