From correspondents in Moscow, Russia, 09:31 AM IST

Russia Saturday launched a rocket carrying a US communication satellite into space, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The Briz-m rocket, with a ProtoStar-2 satellite atop, blasted off at 0057 GMT from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, spokesman Alexander Bobrenev of the Khrunichev Centre, the manufacturer of the rocket, said.

The ProtoStar-2 satellite, a product of the Boeing corporation, will provide communication services to customers in various countries including Indonesia, India and the Philippines.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)