The payload module, containing the Express 6-A, was integrated with the launcher on March 7. The stack was rolled out to the launch pad on Thursday, Rosaviacosmos representatives said. The go-ahead for the launch is expected from the State Commission, which will meet the evening before the launch.

The Express 6-A will spend around two days finalizing its orbit, which should leave the spacecraft "hanging" over the Indian Ocean, from where it will provide communications over the eastern hemisphere.

This will be the second Proton launch since the booster's return to flight after a crash in October, which destroyed the first Express A spacecraft.

The crash also delayed the launch of the Zvezda service module, the crucial element of the International Space Station.

The next Proton launch is currently planned for April 6 and will be conducted from a launch complex operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The booster will carry the Sesat communications satellite for Paris-based Eutelsat, the international organization for satellite communications.

The Sesat will provide telecommunications and multimedia services from the Atlantic islands to eastern Russia, also covering North Africa and Saudi Arabia.