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Proton rocket launched two communications satellites for the Russian government Thursday (July 30) in a dazzling nighttime liftoff.
The heavy-lift Proton-M rocket equipped with a Breeze-M upper stage launched the Express 80 and Express 103 communications satellites into orbit from
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff occurred at 5:25 p.m. EDT (2125 GMT). The local time at the launch site was 2:25 a.m. on Friday (July 31).
Russia's space agency
Roscosmos hailed the launch as a success. The Express communications satellites successfully separated from the 174-foot-tall (53 meters) Proton just over 18 hours after liftoff,
Roscosmos officials said.