Commercial Proton launches Proton M/Breeze M launches Inmarsat 5 F1 Satellite launched to boost mobile broadband access A Proton rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday, launching a powerful satellite to kick off a $1.6 billion next-generation fleet for Inmarsat, the London-based operator specializing in the booming mobile communications market.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: LAUNCH PHOTOS    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT    LAUNCH TIMELINE Proton M/Breeze M launches Sirius FM6 Sirius XM Radio spacecraft launches on Proton rocket A Proton rocket and a Breeze M upper stage guided a fresh satellite into orbit Friday to begin a 15-year mission broadcasting hundreds of music, news and entertainment channels to Sirius XM Radio's 25 million subscribers in North America.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH TIMELINE    OUR ILS PROTON LAUNCH ARCHIVE Proton M/Breeze M launches ASTRA 2E Proton returns to flight with successful launch for SES A Russian Proton rocket lifted off from the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday, launching with the ASTRA 2E broadcasting satellite on the heavy-lift booster's first mission since a July 2 failure.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    PREVIEW STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches SES 6 Proton flies to high orbit with commercial payload Taking an exceptionally long climb into exceptionally high orbit, a Russian Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Monday on a 15-hour flight that successfully deployed a commercial communications satellite.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Eutelsat 3D Proton blasts off with Eutelsat 3D spacecraft A Russian Proton rocket soared into space Tuesday with the Eutelsat 3D broadcasting satellite, carefully maneuvering the 6-ton spacecraft into a high-altitude transfer orbit during a 9-hour flight.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON LAUNCH VIDEO    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT VIDEO Proton M/Breeze M launches Anik G1 Proton/Breeze M completes lengthy mission for Telesat Steadily ascending for nine hours and traveling a distance to loop around the planet four times, a Russian-made rocket booster successfully deployed a Canadian telecommunications satellite into the prescribed orbit Monday night.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Satmex 8 Proton successful in return-to-flight launch of Satmex 8 Russia's Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage, a major player in the global commercial launch market, returned to service Tuesday with the successful launch of a Mexican communications satellite designed to bridge the Americas.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT VIDEO Proton M/Breeze M launches Yamal 402 Russian satellite launch fails to reach proper orbit The Russian space industry suffered another malfunction Saturday when the upper stage of the heavy-lift Proton rocket failed to perform the full duration of its final boost-burn, leaving a domestic telecommunications satellite in a lower-than-planned orbit at the end of a 9-hour flight from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY    FAILURE REPORT Proton M/Breeze M launches EchoStar 16 EchoStar satellite in orbit after successful launch An International Launch Services Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage on Tuesday orbited a communications satellite for the U.S.-based Dish Network direct broadcasting service.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON LAUNCH VIDEO    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT VIDEO Proton M/Breeze M launches Intelsat 23 Intelsat 23 rides Proton to geostationary orbit A commercial Proton rocket, topped with a Breeze M upper stage, lifted off from Kazakhstan Sunday and delivered an Intelsat communications satellite to orbit 23,000 miles from Earth.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT VIDEO Proton M/Breeze M launches SES 5 Proton delivers satellite to cover Europe and Africa An international communications satellite to blanket a large swath of the planet was hauled into orbit Monday by Russia's commercial Proton heavy-lifting rocket.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Nimiq 6 Nimiq communications bird lofted by Proton rocket A new broadcasting spacecraft for direct-to-home satellite television customers across Canada was hoisted into orbit Thursday by the Russian Proton rocket on its latest commercial delivery mission.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Yahsat 1A Yahsat 1B successfully launched by Proton rocket A Proton rocket launched Monday with a Middle Eastern spacecraft for high-data-rate communications.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Intelsat 22 New Intelsat spacecraft will serve Australian, U.S. forces An Intelsat satellite on the way to an orbit over the Indian Ocean will link Europe, Africa and Asia with video and voice services and relay UHF communications for U.S. and Australian defense forces deployed in Afghanistan.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON LAUNCH VIDEO    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT VIDEO Proton M/Breeze M launches SES 4 Proton launches with largest satellite for SES A Proton rocket launched Tuesday with a satellite beginning a multi-decade life of serving telecommunications across the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches AsiaSat 7 Proton delivers Asian TV broadcasting craft to space A satellite to broadcast television across a swath of the globe from Israel to New Zealand launched on top of a Russian Proton rocket Friday, successfully starting a 15-year mission for AsiaSat of Hong Kong.    FULL STORY    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches ViaSat 1 ViaSat 1 successfully launched by Proton rocket A sophisticated broadband satellite to provide direct-to-home Internet connections from space for customers across the U.S. and Canada was successfully launched by Russia's commercial Proton heavy-lifting rocket Wednesday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT    IMAGES: PROTON LAUNCH Proton M/Breeze M launches QuetzSat 1 Mexican TV viewers get new communications satellite A direct-to-home television broadcasting satellite for Mexico and the U.S. was hauled into orbit Thursday by Russia's commercial Proton heavy-lifting rocket.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    IMAGES: PROTON PREPARATIONS AND LAUNCH Proton M/Breeze M launches SES 3 & Kazsat 2 Two broadcasting satellites share Proton rocket ride Communications satellites for North America and Kazakhstan blasted off on top of a Proton rocket Friday and successfully arrived hours later at their targeted posts thousands of miles from Earth.    FULL STORY    IMAGES: PROTON LAUNCH    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches Telstar 14R Proton rocket orbits satellite to connect the Americas A Russian Proton rocket blasted off Friday from Kazakhstan with a Canadian communications satellite to link Brazil and other parts of the Americas with broadband Internet and video services.    FULL STORY    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches KA-SAT European satellite rides Proton rocket to orbit A Russian Proton rocket launched Sunday with a European broadband communications satellite, the continent's first spacecraft dedicated to high-throughput Ka-band connectivity for Internet and television services.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches SkyTerra 1 Broadband dream rockets into reality on Proton Designed to beam broadband messages to smart phones from more than 22,000 miles in space, a massive spacecraft blasted off Sunday from the plains of Kazakhstan on a Proton rocket in the first phase of deploying a unique wireless communications network stretching across North America.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches Sirius XM 5 Sirius XM Radio satellite launched by Russian rocket Sirius XM Radio's next broadcasting satellite rocketed away from Earth and into space Thursday, reaching a lofty perch high above Earth for a 15-year mission serving nearly 20 million subscribers in North America with music, news and variety programming.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY    SATELLITE ARRIVAL Proton M/Breeze M launches EchoStar 15 Popular American television system gets a new satellite A powerful reinforcement to bolster DISH Network's fleet of direct-to-home television broadcasting satellites climbed into orbit Saturday.    FULL STORY    IMAGES: PROTON ROLLOUT Proton M/Breeze M launches Badr 5 Russian rocket hauls Badr 5 satellite to orbit for Arabsat The primary operator of communications satellites in the Arab world has launched the first of two powerful new spacecraft, beginning a major orbital upgrade using competing commercial rockets to get the birds aloft this month.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches SES 1 Proton hauls satellite to orbit for America A Proton rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan Saturday and delivered a new communications satellite into orbit to replace two aging spacecraft serving North America.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches EchoStar 14 DISH Network broadcasting satellite orbited by Proton A new direct broadcasting satellite for DISH Network was launched into orbit Saturday by a Proton rocket, beginning a 15-year mission to expand the service's high definition programming across the United States.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Intelsat 16 Proton sends Intelsat broadcast satellite to space A Proton rocket blasted off in frigid subzero weather late Thursday and successfully delivered a direct broadcasting satellite into orbit for Latin America more than nine hours later.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches DirecTV 12 Proton rocket sends DirecTV broadcast satellite to orbit A new high-definition television broadcasting satellite was deployed by a Proton rocket early Tuesday, bolstering DirecTV's programming lineup for customers in the United States.    FULL STORY    PREVIEW STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches W7 Another Proton rocket mission ends in success Just eleven weeks after winning the contract from a troubled competitor, an International Launch Services Proton rocket gave a powerhouse European communications satellite a successful ride to orbit Tuesday.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Nimiq 5 Successful satellite launch aims to boost DISH Network A Canadian commercial communications satellite was shot into space from the famed Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday to serve customers across the United States who subscribe to the DISH Network.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches AsiaSat 5 Asian communications satellite launched by Proton A Proton booster successfully guided an Asian communications satellite into orbit Tuesday, six months after a last-minute rocket switch to meet the customer's schedule demands.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Sirius FM5 Fresh satellite launches for Sirius XM Radio listeners Radio listeners received a boost Tuesday, when a powerful new broadcasting satellite for Sirius XM Radio successfully blasted off from Kazakhstan to beam programming to receivers in cars, boats, airplanes and homes.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches ProtoStar 2 Proton rocket launches TV broadcaster for Asia A Russian Proton rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan early Saturday with a satellite that will broadcast television programming directly into homes across Indonesia and India.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches W2A Multi-tasking satellite deployed by 50th ILS Proton A Proton rocket blasted off from Kazakhstan Friday and deposited a versatile European communications satellite into orbit, beginning a 15-year mission that will introduce a state-of-the-art service to beam live television to cell phones, iPods and cars across Europe.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Ciel 2 Satellite launched for Canadian telecom operator An International Launch Services Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage deployed the Canadian Ciel 2 telecommunications spacecraft to serve North America. Proton M/Breeze M launches ASTRA 1M Proton rocket deploys ASTRA satellite for Europe A new European communications satellite was launched into space Wednesday, bound for a premier orbital location that broadcasts over 1,000 channels to 93 million homes in 35 countries.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Nimiq 4 Proton launches with Nimiq TV broadcasting craft An International Launch Services Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage deployed the Nimiq 4 direct television broadcasting spacecraft to serve Canada. Proton M/Breeze M launches Inmarsat 4-F3 Proton launcher returns to commercial service Commercial flights of Russia's Proton rocket successfully resumed Monday night, putting into orbit a sophisticated mobile communications satellite that joins two other spacecraft to offer global broadband coverage.    FULL STORY    BREEZE M REDESIGN Proton M/Breeze M launches AMC 14 Proton rocket suffers another launch failure For the second time in six months, a commercial launch of the Russian Proton rocket ended in failure early Saturday after an undetermined problem struck the booster's upper stage, leaving the mission's DISH Network broadcasting payload in a useless orbit.    FULL STORY    AMC 14 DECLARED LOST    FAILURE REPORT Proton M/Breeze M launches Thor 5 Norwegian satellite put into orbit by Proton rocket A Proton rocket carrying a Norwegian communications satellite blasted off from the snow-covered plains of Kazakhstan Monday, delivering its $217 million cargo to orbit more than nine hours later.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches SIRIUS 4 Proton resumes flights with commercial satellite An International Launch Services Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage launched the SIRIUS 4 communications spacecraft for operator SES SIRIUS. The Lockheed Martin-built satellite will serve the Nordic and Baltic markets as well as to enhance coverage in Eastern Europe and Russia. Proton M/Breeze M launches JCSAT 11 Proton fails minutes after liftoff from Baikonur Two minutes after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday night, a Russian heavy-lifting Proton rocket suffered a malfunction of its second stage, leading to destruction of a Japanese satellite payload riding aboard the booster.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches DIRECTV 10 New satellite launched to expand HDTV coverage An International Launch Services Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage launched the DIRECTV 10 broadcasting spacecraft. The Boeing-built satellite will be used for DirecTV's direct-to-home service, specifically aiding in the expansion of HDTV offerings. Proton M/Breeze M launches Anik F3 Proton booster delivers Canadian satellite to space Eleven years to the day since the Russian Proton rocket began flying under the marketing banner of International Launch Services, the heavy-duty booster overnight successfully heaved a 10,200-pound Canadian telecommunications satellite into Earth orbit.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches MEASAT 3 Proton rocket's commercial marketer begins new era Asia's newest communications satellite blasted off from frigid Kazakhstan Monday to begin a 15-year mission to beam a variety of services directly to homes and offices across the world's most populous continent.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches BADR 4 Proton rocket's commercial marketer begins new era International Launch Services' first flight since its reorganization to focus exclusively on commercial Russian Proton rocket missions successfully lofted an Arab telecommunications satellite Wednesday.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Hot Bird 8 Proton rocket fails in Arab satellite launch Eutelsat's Hot Bird 8 communications spacecraft was successfully deployed by a Breeze M upper stage Saturday, capping a 9-hour flight that resumes commercial launches for Russia's Proton rocket fleet after a failure five months ago.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches ARABSAT 4A Proton rocket fails in Arab satellite launch A Russian-made rocket booster malfunctioned during launch today, leaving an Arab telecommunications satellite below its intended Earth orbit and dealing a harsh blow to the commercial space industry.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    FAILURE REPORT Proton M/Breeze M launches AMC 23 2005 launch year ends with successful Russian flight The final space launch of 2005 powered off the pad Wednesday night when a Russian Proton M rocket departed Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying an American satellite built to relay broadband communications to specially equipped jetliners flying across the Pacific Ocean.    FULL STORY Proton M/Breeze M launches Anik F1R Russian Proton rocket launches Canadian satellite A powerful broadcasting platform to beam television, data and air-traffic navigation signals across North America arrived in orbit today, capping a 9-hour ascent atop a Russian-made rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches DIRECTV 8 Direct-to-home broadcast payload launched by Proton Millions of Americans with pizza-size rooftop satellite dishes receiving direct-to-home television signals from DIRECTV will benefit from Sunday's successful Russian Proton rocket launch.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches AMC 12 Proton blasts off with AMC 12 communications satellite A communications satellite designed to serve the Americas, Europe and Africa from its intended perch above the Atlantic Ocean rocketed into space Thursday atop a Russian Proton booster.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches AMC 15 Russian Proton rocket lofts U.S. broadcasting satellite The AMERICOM 15 communications spacecraft that will broadcast direct-to-home entertainment and broadband services across the U.S. was successfully launched aboard a commercial Russian Proton rocket today.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Amazonas 1 Amazonas satellite launched to bridge the Atlantic The Amazonas communications spacecraft that will serve Spanish and Portuguese speaking residents on both sides of the Atlantic was successfully launched aboard a commercial Russian Proton rocket Thursday.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches Intelsat 10-02 Powerful broadcasting satellite goes into orbit Global communications satellite operator Intelsat, which will mark its 40th anniversary later this year, used a Russian Proton M rocket to launch its largest and most powerful spacecraft Wednesday night from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton M/Breeze M launches W3A Communications satellite put into orbit by Proton With its six-engine first stage providing a powerful punch, a Russian Proton rocket roared off the planet March 15 carrying an advanced satellite that will relay telecommunications services across Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and sub-Saharan Africa.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton K/Breeze M launches AMC 9 Russian Proton rocket flies its 300th launch In a commercial mission June 7 that was anything but a sprint, the milestone 300th flight of the Russian Proton heavy-lifting rocket booster successfully launched a telecommunications satellite to cover North America.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC Proton M/Breeze M launches Nimiq 2 Russian rocket delivers Canadian satellite in space A spacecraft to broadcast TV and communications services across Canada was successfully sent into orbit December 29, 2002 aboard the first commercial flight of Russia's modernized Proton M rocket and Breeze M upper stage motor.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: NIMIQ 2 LIFTS OFF ABOARD PROTON ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: PROTON M ROCKET ROLLED TO THE PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: ANIMATED PREVIEW OF PROTON M/BREEZE M LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF THE NIMIQ 2 SATELLITE QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton K/Block DM failure with Astra 1K Russian launch fails The massive Astra 1K broadcasting spacecraft never left low-Earth orbit November 25, 2002 when the Block DM upper stage of the Proton rocket malfunctioned, leaving the satellite in a worthless perch 109 miles above the planet.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: ASTRA 1K LIFTS OFF ABOARD PROTON ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF PROTON BEING ROLLED TO THE PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: THE MISSION OF ASTRA 1K SPACECRAFT QT or RV    VIDEO: TECHNICAL OVERVIEW OF ASTRA 1K QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton K/Block DM launches EchoStar 8 Russian Proton rocket puts U.S. TV satellite in space Just seven hours after its inaugural flight of the Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, International Launch Services delivered a direct-to-home television broadcasting satellite into orbit using a Russian Proton vehicle on August 22, 2002.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC    GROUND TRACK MAP Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PROTON LIFTS OFF WITH ECHOSTAR 8 QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton K/Block DM launches DirecTV 5 DirecTV 5 broadcasting satellite launched by Proton A direct-to-home television broadcasting satellite with a storied past finally rocketed into space May 7, 2002 to become the newest star in the DirecTV constellation. The DirecTV 5 spacecraft was successfully launched atop a Russian-built Proton rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PROTON ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH DIRECTV-5 QT or RV    VIDEO: ANOTHER VIEW OF PROTON'S LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: EXPLANATION OF REASON FOR MONDAY'S SCRUB QT or RV    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING OF DIRECTV-5 QT or RV    VIDEO: PROTON ROCKET ROLLED TO LAUNCH PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: ANIMATION DIRECTV-5 LAUNCHING ON PROTON QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton K/Block DM launches Intelsat 903 Intelsat 903 spacecraft launched by Proton booster A Russian Proton rocket successfully transported a commercial satellite into orbit March 30, 2002 that will provide telecommunications services to the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PROTON ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH INTELSAT 903 QT or RV    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING OF PROTON ROCKET QT or RV    VIDEO: PROTON ERECTED ON THE LAUNCH PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: NARRATED LAUNCH SEQUENCE MOVIE QT or RV    VIDEO: INTELSAT 903 MISSION OVERVIEW QT or RV    MORE: COMPLETE SFN+ VIDEO INDEX Proton K/Block DM launches Astra 2C Proton adds new craft to ASTRA satellite system A new broadcasting spacecraft was propelled into Earth orbit on June 16, 2001 to join the Astra direct-to-home TV satellite system serving over 87 million homes across Europe.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton K/Block DM launches PAS 10 Proton lofts international communications satellite A telecommunications spacecraft that will orbit above the Indian Ocean to serve an area where 80 percent of the planet's population resides and replace an ailing sister-satellite was successfully delivered into space May 15, 2001 by a Russian Proton rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton K/Block DM launches Sirius 3 Sirius 3 radio broadcasting satellite launched by Proton The final digital broadcasting spacecraft that completes the orbiting network for Sirius Satellite Radio was successfully launched November 30, 2000 by a Russian Proton rocket from Central Asia. See the status center for launch coverage.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: PROTON ROCKET LIFTS OFF    VIDEO: STAGING OF PROTON Proton K/Block DM launches GE 6 Russian Proton rocket launches American satellite An International Launch Services commercial Proton rocket successfully delivered the American GE 6 telecommunications spacecraft into orbit October 21, 2000 after a 6 1/2-hour flight. The satellite will serve North and South America.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Proton K/Block DM launches GE 1A Russian Proton rocket launches GE 1A satellite A Russian Proton rocket carried the GE 1A telecommunications broadcast spacecraft into orbit October 1, 2000. The American-made satellite will beam television and data across the Asia-Pacific region.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    VIDEO: PROTON BLAST OFF    VIDEO: ROCKET MAKES SMOKE RING Proton K/Block DM launches Sirius 2 Radio broadcasting satellite launched by Proton rocket Americans are a step closer to receiving digital radio programming via satellite with the successful launch September 5 of a Russian Proton rocket half a world away in Central Asia.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LIFTOFF VIDEO Proton K/Block DM launches Sirius 1 Proton rocket launches Sirius 1 radio satellite A revolutionary marriage between space and American motorists took a step closer to reality on June 30, 2000 when a Russian Proton rocket successfully launched a digital radio broadcasting satellite.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    FULL STORY Proton K/Block DM launches Garuda 1 Proton back in business The Russian Proton rocket successfully returned to flight on February 12, 2000, placing the Garuda 1 cellular telephone satellite into space. The launch was the first for a Proton since a failure last October.    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH VIDEO