The 58.2-metre (191ft) high launch vehicle, with the satellite safely encapsulated in its payload fairing, was transported horizontally on a rail car to the propellant service unit at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
It takes two days to fill the low-pressure tanks of the rocket’s Breeze M upper stage with a propellant combination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO).
The Proton M rocket is pictured carrying the Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite for fuelling in preparation for launch on 8 December.
The rocket will then be rolled out to the Pad 39 launch zone, where it will be raised into a vertical position in readiness for lift-off.
The launch, scheduled for 12:12 UTC, can be watched live via the Inmarsat.com website on 8 December.
