MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) - The launch of a modified Zenit rocket to put an Israeli communications satellite into orbit has been scheduled for April 24, a spokesperson for Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said.

"The liftoff is scheduled for 9:00 Moscow time [5:00 GMT]," the agency representative said.

Russia started preparations for the launch of the Zenit-3SLB rocket with the Israeli AMOS-3 satellite on board from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan in October last year.

All previous launches of this type of Zenit rocket were conducted as part of the Sea Launch program from the Pacific Ocean.

The $170-mln satellite will join the AMOS-1 and AMOS-2 satellites to increase capacity, expand coverage, and enhance direct cross-Atlantic links connecting the Mideast to Europe and the U.S. East Coast, according to the fleet's operator, Space Communications Ltd.