A Proton-M carrier rocket has been damaged during transportation to the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan and will be replaced to keep the launch schedule unchanged, the Khrunichev space rocket maker said on Monday.

"The first stage booster was damaged during railroad transport of the rocket from the production facility to the space center," a Khrunichev spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

"The company has decided to replace the damaged rocket with a new one," the spekesperson said. "The new launch vehicle was sent to the space center on November 20."

The official added that the replacement would not affect the Proton-M launch schedule.

Russia is planning to launch Proton-M rockets to orbit the Yamal-402 satellite for Gazprom Space Systems on December 8 and the Satmex-8 satellite for Satelites Mexicanos, S.A. on December 28.

Source: RIA Novosti