Proton rocket

Overview

Russian Proton rocket launches with the Zvezda module in December 2000

The first Proton rocket was first launched in 1965 and is still in use today, making the Proton rocket system the most successful heavy boosters in spaceflight history. Primarily, the three stage rocket system is launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and has been used for a variety of missions including the insertion of sections and resupply of the International Space Station, which it will continue to do so through the US Space Shuttle decommissioning in 2010.

Further reading

• NASA press release December 2000.
• Wikipedia article on the Proton rocket system.