Russia launched a telecommunications satellite into orbit on Saturday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian news reports said. The Express AM-1 satellite, which has a service life of up to 12 years, is the third from a group of five such satellites to be launched. The remaining two are expected to be lifted into orbit by mid-2005. A Proton-K rocket blasted the satellite into orbit early Saturday without any problems, Russia's Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies said.