MOSCOW, December 1 (RIA Novosti) - The fueling of the Russian Proton-M carrier rocket that will launch a U.S. AMC-23 (Worldsat-3) communications satellite into orbit has begun, the Federal Space Agency said Thursday.

"Experts of the Khrunichev [space] center and the Space Forces have started fueling preparations," the agency said.

"The rocket will be fueled on December 1-2," the agency said. It will then be moved to the launch site. The Proton-M carrier rocket with a Briz-M booster and the U.S. satellite is scheduled to be launched from pad No. 200 at the Baikonur Space Center December 6.

The AMC-23/WorldSat-3 was manufactured by French company AAS and is owned by U.S. SES AMERICOM, a provider of satellite communications. The satellite has a flight weight of 5.027 kilograms (11 pounds) and a service life of 16 years.

The Proton-M carrier rocket and Briz-M booster are manufactured by the Russian Khrunichev Space Center.

Launch services are provided under contract by joint venture International Launch Services (ILS), which includes Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev.