European communications satellite lost after Russian missile launch
Date: Wednesday, November 27 @ 11:07:17 CST
Topic: Archive of stories pre April 2007
A European communications satellite has been lost after failing to reach orbit on a Russian rocket.
The Astra-1K was aboard a Proton rocket from Russia's launch site at Baikonur, in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan.
The Russian space agency said it reached its preliminary orbit but it then failed to accelerate to higher orbit.
Spokesman Konstantin Kreidenko told Russia's NTV television that the Russian-made DM-3 boosting unit was to blame.
The Astra-1K would have replaced three satellites already in orbit, used for radio and television broadcasts and mobile phone and internet connections.
At 5.25 metric tons, it the largest communications satellite ever built.
It which was made by France's Alcatel Space corporation for the Societe Europeene
des Satellites (SES) of Luxembourg.
The failed launch followed an accident on October 15, in which a Russian unmanned Soyuz-U rocket blew up half-a-minute after liftoff.
Space officials said later that an alien object was found in the rocket's fuel line. That investigation is continuing.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_716188.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery
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