An artist's concept of an Express-A series satellite in space. Photo: Intersputnik

A Russian telecommunications satellite was placed into space today by a Proton rocket following liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, news reports said.

Launch occurred at 0407 GMT (11:07 p.m. EST Saturday). It took about 6 1/2 hours to place Intersputnik's Express-6A spacecraft into the planned geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The satellite is first of two Express-A-series craft planned for launch this year to modernize Intersputnik telecommunications services.

Express-6A will be operated under an agreement with the Russian Satellite Communications Company in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above Earth's equator at 80 degrees East. The satellite will allow Intersputnik to offer a much wider range of services, including Ku-band state and regional digital TV and broadcasting.

The Express-6A's launch will be followed this summer by Express-3A, which will assume the orbital slot at 11 degrees West to replace the Stasionar-11 (Gorizont-26) satellite.

Officials say the two new satellites are Russia's most capable telecommunications spacecraft, each carrying 12 C-band and 5 Ku-band high-power transponders.

Express-6A is the second satellite built in the Express-A satellite series. The initial spacecraft was destroyed in a Proton launch failure on October 27.

Russia's Krasnoyarsk-based NPO-PM produces the Express-A satellite bus, while Alcatel Espace of France supplies the payload.