The Ekspress-AMU 3 and Ekspress-AMU 7 are two communications satellite for russian domestic communication services. While the spacecraft themselves are built by russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payloads are built by Thales Alenia Space. Both satellites are based on the Ekspress-1000 bus and feature 16 Ku-, 1 L- and 20 C-band transponders. They will be located at 96.5° and 145° East respectively.
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets and is currently developing the Angara rocket family. The Proton launch vehicle launches from Baikonur and Rokot launches from Baikonur and Plesetsk. Angara will launch from Plesetsk and Vostochny.
INFO WIKIA Russian rocket stage deployed two television and internet relay satellites into a high-altitude orbit 18 hours after liftoff Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton rocket.