Am Freitag startete erfolgreich eine Zenit-Rakete von der Sea-Launch-Plattform.

A Russian rocket on Friday successfully put the U.S. Intelsat 19 telecoms satellite into orbit, following a seaborne launch, the Russian space corporation Energia said.

The Zenit-3SL rocket lifted off from the launch pad Odyssey in the Pacific Ocean at 05:23 GMT on Friday.

Odyssey, positioned on the equator, is a converted oil rig operated by the Swiss-based rocket company Sea Launch.

The 5,600 kilogram Intelsat 19 is a geostationary communications satellite built by Space Systems Loral.

The satellite carries 46 C-band and 34 Ku-band transponders to provide telecoms services to high-growth markets around the Pacific Rim, including Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and U.S. West Coast.