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Briz-M rocket booster separates from the Proton-M carrier rocket

The Briz-M rocket booster with the French W3D satellite onboard has separated from the Proton-M carrier rocket

MOSCOW, May 14 (Itar-Tass) - The Briz-M rocket booster with the French W3D satellite onboard has separated from the Proton-M carrier rocket.

"The rocket booster separated from the carrier rocket nine minutes after the lift-off at 20:11 Moscow time. The rocket booster will continue taking the French satellite to the final orbit in accordance with the flight’s control chart,” an official spokesperson for the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

The Proton-M carrier rocket with the W3D satellite onboard was launched from Baikonur at 20:02 Moscow time.

The satellite is to enter its final orbit at 05:15 Moscow time on May 15.

The W3D satellite was manufactured on order from the Eutelsat communications operator by the Thales Alenia Space company. It weighs 5.4 tons. The satellite will is meant for digit radio and television broadcasting, provision of telephone services and wide-band access to the Internet in Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

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