On October 19, 2011 at 18:48 UTC the Russian "Proton-M” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The rocket equipped with the "Briz-M” booster orbited the U.S. ViaSat-1 communications satellite. ViaSat-1 weighs six tons and should operate for 15 years at a geostationary orbit. A sophisticated broadband satellite will provide direct-to-home Internet connections from space for customers across the U.S. and Canada. The satellite was made by the American "Space Systems/Loral” company.
