The rocket, operated by US-based international consortium Sea Launch, took off at 03:30 am (2330 GMT Wednesday), a flight control official was quoted as saying.

It was scheduled to place the satellite into geostationary orbit about 90 minutes after launch.

The JCSAT-9 satellite, weighing 4.4 tonnes, is to provide communications and broadcasting services throughout Asia, Sea Launch said on its website.

Sea Launch is a US-Russian-Ukrainian-Norwegian consortium based in Long Beach, California.

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