. | . |
|
. |
by Staff Writers Voronezh, Russia (RIA Novosti) Feb 06, 2012
The crash of Russia's Meridian communication satellite late last year was caused by the destruction of one of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket's engines, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin, said on Tuesday. "An inter-agency commission has concluded that the reason was an early opening of the combustion section of the rocket's third stage," Popovkin said during a meeting dedicated to Russia's space industry development. As a result, he said, the combustion section has "virtually burned through." The Meridian satellite was launched from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia on board the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket on December 23, 2011. The satellite fell to earth just minutes after take-off, marking another blow for Russia's troubled space industry, which has experienced a number of launch mishaps over the last year. Meridian-series communication satellites are used for both civilian and military purposes. They are designed to provide communication between vessels, airplanes and coastal stations on the ground, as well as to expand a network of satellite communications in the northern regions of Siberia and the Russian Far East. These satellites are designed to replace the older Molniya-series. The Soyuz-2 is an upgraded version of the Soyuz rocket, which has been a workhorse of Russia's manned and unmanned space programs since the 1960s.
Source: RIA Novosti
Roscosmos Space Technology News - Applications and Research
|
. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |