A Russian rocket has crashed in Siberia while carrying a Mexican satellite.

The rocket, Proton-M, was launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome on Saturday and has a history of mishaps as the rocket lost three navigation satellites last year.

The Russian Federal Space Agency has described the accident as a “malfunction” and said it will be investigating the incident.

Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Show all 28 1 /28 Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The total solar eclipse at Svalbard, Norway Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The moon blocks part of the sun during a solar eclipse as seen over Moscow Kremlin's Troitskaya (Trinity) tower, in Russia Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse is visible over Strasbourg, eastern France Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible in Rabat, Morocco Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible in Rabat, Morocco Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse in seen above a mosque in Oxford, central England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible next to the statues of Milan's cathedral Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The moon passes in front of the sun to form a partial solar eclipse in Nice, southeastern France Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The sun is seen during a partial eclipse over the spires of the Duomo gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The total solar eclipse seen from Svalbard, Norway Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 An eclipse of the sun passes behind a cloud, from Carlton Hill in Edinburgh Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse forms in the sky through clouds near the cross of the Church of St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker in Sofia, Bulgaria Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 People view the total solar eclipse in Svalbard, Norway Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible next to the iconic Liver Bird on top of the Liver Building in Liverpool, north-west England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible in Plymouth, south-west England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 The solar eclipse in Milan, northern Italy Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 People gather in front of a planetarium in Berlin to catch a glimpse of a solar eclipse Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A view of a partial solar eclipse seen over the Heroes' Square Budapest, Hungary Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 An eclipse of the sun from Carlton Hill in Edinburgh Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 People watch as a solar eclipse begins over the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A bird sits on a branch in front of a partial solar eclipse near Bridgwater, in south western England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse as seen in Tuineje, Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands, Spain Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse is seen from near Bridgwater, in south western England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 An eclipse of the sun begins over the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A partial solar eclipse is seen from near Bridgwater, in south western England Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A view of a partial solar eclipse seen over Zurich, Switzerland Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 A dove is pictured in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse in Muncih, Germany Solar eclipse 2015 in pictures Solar eclipse 2015 An eclipse of the sun begins over Northumberland

A Proton-M carrier rocket carrying a Mexican satellite malfunctioned and burnt up over Siberia soon after launch on Saturday, the latest in a series of mishaps for Russia's space industry.

The third stage of the rocket carrying the MexSat-1 communications satellite suffered a problem about 500 seconds after launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian media quoted Russian space officials as saying.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos subsequently said in a statement that the satellite, booster and third stage burnt up almost entirely in the atmosphere with no evidence of anything falling to earth.

The agency also said that the accident happened at a height of 181 kilometres (112.47 miles) and that the satellite had been insured by the customer.

The cause of the accident was not immediately established. RIA news agency quoted one space official as saying that all launches of carrier rockets of this type would now be suspended.