Russia launches DirecTV satellite into orbit

A Russian rocket sent a telecommunication satellite owned by US-based DirecTV Group into orbit Saturday, the Russian space agency said - the latest successful launch for Russia and its efforts to garner a larger share of the lucrative international market for space launches. The DirecTV-10 satellite blasted off atop a Proton-M rocket early Saturday morning from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Roscosmos said in a statement. Once operational, the satellite will broadcast high-definition television signals to the United States. The Interfax news agency said the 5,900-kilogram satellite was largest ever launched into space aboard a Proton-M rocket.