Russia's Zenit-3SLB carrier rocket has successfully put into orbit a U.S. telecommunications satellite, the Intelsat-15, a spokesman for Russia's space agency Roscosmos said,

Intelsat-15 was developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and is designed to replace the Intelsat-709 satellite. Intelsat-15 is equipped with 22 Ku-band transponders and will provide telecommunications services for the Middle East and Russia.

The satellite weighs 2.48 tons and has a service life of at least 15 years.

The Zenit-3SLB is a modernized three-stage version of the Zenit-3SL, used on Sea Launch's floating platform in the Pacific Ocean, developed for land-based launches.

MOSCOW, December 1 (RIA Novosti)