At 23:18:55 GMT this evening, a Russian Proton-M/Briz-M rocket launched from Area 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with the AMC-14 satellite for American communications organisation SES Americom. The rocket, operated by International Launch Services (ILS), lifted off on time, and headed towards a Geosynchronous orbit. Around fourty minutes after lift-off, ILS reported that an anomaly had occurred during the second burn of the upper stage. AMC-14, which would have been operated in conjunction with Echostar was to provide direct-to-home satellite television services. It was based on the Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite bus.

This is the 11th orbital launch of 2008, and the first to fail. It is also the 334th launch of the Proton rocket, the 41st Proton launch failure, the 2,800th Russian orbital launch, and the 45th launch to be conducted by ILS. It is also the third failure of a Proton during an ILS launch in as many years, following a malfunction during a launch last September, and another in February 2006.

The Proton itself performed nominally, and the Briz-M upper stage successfully completed the first of three burns. During the second burn, however, an undisclosed malfunction occurred, leaving the satellite stranded in a much lower orbit than planned. It is unclear whether the satllite is recoverable. There are currently three options, which are to declare the satellite a write-off and de-orbit it, attempt to raise it to geosynchronous orbit under its own power, or propel it towards the Moon, using lunar gravity to slingshot it back into the correct orbit. If either of the latter options are chosen, it will be at great cost to the satellite's on-orbit life expectancy.

Progress spacecraft M-63, serial number 363, also designated Progress 28P, has been launched by the Russian Federal Space Agency on a mission to resupply the International Space Station. Liftoff, atop a Soyuz-U carrier rocket occurred at 13:02 GMT, from Area 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft will dock with the space station on Thursday, a few hours ahead of the scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-122, with the Columbus module, a new laboratory which will enhance the outpost's research capabilities.

The Progress spacecraft is used to deliver supplies and experiments to the station. Typically four or five are launched each year, with the two most recently launched remaining on station, the oldest being undocked and de-orbited shortly before the arrival of a new one. However in this case, owing to the imminent Space Shuttle launch, there is currently no Progress spacecraft at the ISS, following the undocking of Progress M-62 yesterday.

Progress spacecraft, which are loose analogues of the Soyuz spacecraft, have been used as resupply craft in space station programmes since Salyut 6. Progress M-63 is the 28th Progress spacecraft to fly as part of the ISS programme.

This is the fourth orbital launch of 2008, and the second for Russia.

In the sixth orbital launch of 2008, an International Launch Services Proton-M/Briz-M rocket has launched from area 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with the Norwegian Thor 5 communication satellite aboard. Liftoff of the 53 metre long Russian rocket occurred at 11:33 GMT, and the launch ended with the satellite's injection into a geosynchronous orbit, some 9 hours and 23 minutes later.

At 13:20, the second burn of the Briz-M upper stage was confirmed to have been successful. At 15:50, the third burn, and separation of the upper stage's auxiliary propellant tank, were reported to have been completed successfully. The fourth burn occurred about five hours later, and spacecraft separation followed at 20:57 GMT.

Thor 5 will be positioned at 1°W longitude, and will provide direct-to-home broadcasting services to Europe. The satellite was constructed by Orbital Sciences Corporation, and is based on the Star-2 satellite bus. It will be operated by Telenor, and is equipped with 24 Ku-band transponders.

The launch was delayed from 2007 after the failure of another Proton rocket, and scrubbed yesterday due to a problem with the rocket's guidance system, detected shortly before fuelling.