Russian Proton-M rocket crashes

MOSCOW, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a Japanese satellite crashed shortly after liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The unmanned rocket's second-stage booster malfunctioned 135 seconds after launch at an altitude of approximately 45 miles, Russia Today reported. The mishap occurred at 10:43 p.m. Wednesday. Kazakhstan authorities immediately banned further launches of Proton-M rockets pending an investigation.

"Fragments of the rocket fell in a deserted area 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the southwest of Dzhezkazgan," said Aleksandr Vorobyov of the Russian Federal Space Agency. He said no damage or injuries were reported.

Despite the accident, experts told Russia Today the Moscow-produced Proton-M remains the world's most reliable heavy booster with about a 95 percent success rate.

The Japanese satellite was to provide TV broadcast and telecommunications service for clients in Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and Hawaii, chinadaily.com reported.