A U.S. telecommunications satellite atop the Russian Proton-M carrier rocket was launched around 11:15 p.m. Moscow time (1915 GMT) Friday from Baikonur launch center in Kazakhstan, said Russian Mission Control center, Xinhua reported.
The launch of the Proton-M was the first liftoff of this rocket year and the 364th of its flight history, said the Proton maker Khrunichev Space Center.
The U.S. Telstar-14R telecommunications satellite, which is expected to work in orbit for at least 15 years, will cover Brazil, the continental part of the United States, the southern part of South America, and northern and central parts of the Atlantic Ocean, reported Interfax news agency.
The launch process was broadcast live on the Internet, Russian Space Agency Roscosmos said.