2 telecom satellites destroyed in botched Russian launch Loss estimated at $100 million to $150 million; future of program put in doubt
Reuters updated 8/7/2012 1:08:53 PM ET http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48552104/ns/technology_and_science-space/ MOSCOW — Russia failed to launch two multimillion-dollar satellites that were to have provided Indonesia and Russia with telecom services, casting new doubt on a once-pioneering space industry. Russia's space agency said the failure of the upper stage of the launch atop its workhorse Proton rocket led to the loss of Indonesia's Telkom-3 and Russia's Express MD2 satellites. The error happened after takeoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan late on Monday. The total loss of the two satellites was estimated at $100 million to $150 million, a space industry source told Interfax news agency. Moscow, which carries out 40 percent of global space launches, is struggling to restore confidence in its industry after a string of mishaps last year, including the failure of a mission to return samples from the Martian moon Phobos and the loss of a $265 million communications satellite. Space agency Roskosmos said in a statement the Briz-M booster had fired its engines on schedule but they had burned for only seven of the programmed 18 minutes and 5 seconds needed to push the satellites into orbit. "The chances that the satellites will separate from the booster and reach the designated orbit are practically non-existent," an industry source told the state news agency RIA. Proton rocket launches will likely be suspended pending analysis of the failure, the Russian industry source said. "The last failures to a certain extent undermine Russia's position as a country that provides space launch services," said industry expert Yuri Karash, a member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics. Such mistakes strengthen Russia's competitors, such as Europe's Arian rockets, Karash said, describing Russia's space industry, struggling to recover after a generation of brain drain and crimped budgets, as "not in the best condition by a long shot." He added, however, that problems with the Briz-M upper stage did not necessarily throw into doubt the reliability of the Proton booster as a whole. Telkom-3, the first satellite Jakarta had purchased from Moscow, was built by Russia's ISS-Reshetnev with communication equipment made by French-led satellite maker Thales Alenia Space. It had a capacity of 42 active transponders to cater to the growing demand of Indonesia's satellite business service. Express MD2 was a small communication satellite, made by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, for the Russian Satellite Communications Co. _______________________________________________ Please be sure to include a URL to the article. Reply to the sender with a "Thank you" if you like this post. _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
