The Ekspress-80 & -103 satellites are two domestic communication platforms built in cooperation between ISS Reshetnev and Thales Alenia Space of Italy.

Each satellite contains 38 transponders to permit full communication coverage across the Russian Federation.

The numbers after their name, -80 and -103, do not refer to the order in which the satellites were built but rather the longitude above which they will be placed in Geostationary orbit.

Ekspress-80 will occupy the 80 degree East GEO location and -103 will go to the 103 degree East GEO slot.

Ekspress-80 will replace the aging Ekspress-AM 22 while Ekspress-103 will replace the Ekspress-AM 3 satellite.

Image: An Ekspress satellite before launch. Credit: Roscosmos

The Proton-M/DM-03 rocket, manufactured by Khrunichev (Proton) and JSC Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (DM-03 upper stage), is a Russian heavy-lift rocket with a price tag of approximately $65 million (USD) per launch.

Russian government launches are managed by Roscosmos. Non-Russian government launches are managed and contracted through ILS (International Launch Services).

It has two active launch sites, both at the Baikonur Cosmodrome: Sites 81/24 and 200/39.

Proton has launched over 100 times, flying for the first time on 7 April 2001.

Notable payloads include GLONASS navigation satellites and the ExoMars mission.

Stats
Height: 58.2 m / 191 ft
Diameter: 7.4 m / 24 ft
Mass: 705,000 kg / 1,554,000 lb
Stages: 4

First Stage
Engine: 6 x RD-275M
Length: 21.18 m / 69.5 ft
Diameter: 7.4 m / 24 ft
Thrust: 2,368,000 lbf / 10,532 kN
Fuel: Nitrogen Tetroxide / Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

Second Stage - 8S811K
Engine: 3 x RD-0210 / 1 RD-0211
Length: 17.05 m / 55.9 ft
Diameter: 4.1 m / 13 ft
Thrust: 539,000 lbf / 2,399 kN
Fuel: Nitrogen Tetroxide / Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

Third Stage
Engine: 1 x RD-0212
Length: 4.11 m / 13.5 ft
Diameter: 4.1 m / 13 ft
Thrust: 138,000 lbf / 613.8 kN
Fuel: Nitrogen Tetroxide / Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

Fourth Stage - DM-03
Engine: 1 x RD-58M
Length: 5.6 m / 18.3 ft
Diameter: 3.72 m / 12.2 ft
Thrust: 17,860 lbf
Fuel: Liquid Oxygen / RP-1 kerosene

Payload launch capability
Low Earth Orbit: 23,000 kg / 51,000 lb
Geostationary Transfer Orbit: 6,920 kg / 15,260 lb
Direct Geostationary Orbit: 3,250 kg / 7,170 lb

Image: Khrunichev

Site No. 200/39 is part of the overall Site No. 200 complex at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

It has been used to launch a variety of Proton rockets and missions, including the Venera 14 and 15 flights to Venus, Vega 1 and Fobos 1, as well as the failed Mars-96 mission and the ExoMars flight in 2016.

The launch site was also used to launch numerous elements of the Soviet/Russian Mir space station.

Image: Site No. 200/39 during the launch of the ExoMars mission in 2016. Credit: Dedead from Wikipedia.