UPDATE - Roscosmos Says Proton-M Launch Vehicle With AngoSat-2 Satellite Installed At Baikonur

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2022) Russian Proton-M heavy-lift launch vehicle and the Blok DM-03 upper stage rocket, which will take the AngoSat-2 communications satellite into the orbit as part of a joint space project of Russia and Angola, has been installed on the launch pad at the Baikonur site, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said on Sunday.

"On Sunday, October 9, 2022, the Proton-M space rocket with Angolan telecommunications spacecraft AngoSat-2, created by the Roscosmos state corporation, was transported to the launch complex of 81st site at Baikonur," Roscosmos said in a statement.

Later in the day, Roscosmos confirmed earlier reports of Angolan media that AngoSat-2 would be launched into orbit on October 12.

In April 2018, Russia and Angola agreed to build AngoSat-2 to replace the AngoSat-1 satellite after it failed to function almost immediately after the launch in 2017. A new communications satellite was to be produced by Russia's RSC Energia but in 2020 it was reported that the project was transferred to ISS-Reshetnev Company at the request of Angola.