Proton-M

Proton-M (Протон-М, GRAU index 8K82M or 8K82KM) is an expendable Russian heavy-lift launch vehicle derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81/24 and 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. First launched in 2001, the rocket has flown 116 launches with 105 successes. Primarily commercial launches of communications satellites to geosynchronous transfer, marketed by International Launch Services (ILS), it has also flown Russian state satellites such as GLONASS, Ekspress, and Blagovest. In 2013, the rocket was intended to be retired before 2030. Since 2018, Proton has been approaching retirement; Russia's Angara A5, a replacement in the heavy-lift role, conducted four test flights and one operational flight between 2014 and 2025. No new launch service contracts for Proton are likely to be signed; its latest scheduled launches are the Science Power Module 1 to the ISS and an Ekspress satellite, both in 2029. Proton flew its most recent mission on 12 February 2026.