|
|
|
|
Russia launches relay craft, commemorative satellite STEPHEN CLARK SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: May 23, 2008 Russia launched four satellites aboard a Rockot booster from the country's northern spaceport Friday, according to news reports. The 95-foot-tall rocket, capped with a Breeze KM upper stage, lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 1520 GMT (11:20 a.m. EDT). The converted ballistic missile deployed the four payloads into a 900-mile-high orbit less than two hours later, according to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. Friday's launch was the first flight of a Breeze upper stage since March, when a similar stage used on the Proton rocket failed and stranded a U.S. communications satellite in a useless orbit. The owners of the AMC 14 satellite declared the craft a total loss to redeem a $150 million insurance payout. Russian investigators determined the cause of the failure was a ruptured gas duct inside the Breeze M's engine. Engineers said the duct could have burst due to structural erosion, high temperatures and pressure fluctuations, according to International Launch Services, the U.S.-based firm responsible for selling Proton rockets to commercial satellite operators. ILS officials say they will not resume commercial Proton flights until further analysis is completed this summer. The Rockot was carrying three Gonets communications satellites and a small spacecraft to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 launch of Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. The Gonets satellites will be used to relay data and text messages for the Russian military, government agencies and private organizations. Operated by Gonets SatCom for the Russian government, the spacecraft are designed to last up to seven years. The satellite fleet can provide communications coverage across Russian territory. The mission's other payload, called Yubileiny, will broadcast audio messages, imagery, and tones similar to the radio signals transmitted by Sputnik, according to a posting on the Web site of NPO PM, a partner in the craft's development. |
|
|
|
Current Shuttle Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to launch the Tranquility module and cupola to the space station now available in our store!Expedition 20 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.![]() Ares Patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.One Giant Leap
Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.Expedition 21 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores. |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE ADVERTISE © 2010 Spaceflight Now Inc. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||