According to the Russian Federal Space Agency, a Russian Proton-M rocket that blasted off at 2328 GMT, orbited the Malaysian telecommunications satellite Measat 3 Monday, Interfax news agency reports.

It has been launched under a contract arranged by Russian-U.S. enterprise International Launch Services late in 2004.

Measat 3, launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will service Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Australia, Malaysia, China, and India.

The customer, Measat Satellite Systems Sdn, Bhd, is the only licensed commercial satellite operator in Malaysia.

The satellite was manufactured by Boeing. Proton rockets are produced by the Khrunichev enterprise.

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