Russian rocket failure dooms two satellites
AUG 08, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026236
New York Times : Just hours after the US successfully landed Curiosity on Mars, a Russian Proton rocket failed to achieve a proper orbit. Launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, the rocket was carrying two telecommunications satellites for Russia and Indonesia. Although it reached outer space, the Briz-M booster switched off early, so the satellites did not enter proper orbit and will likely fall to Earth within the next year. The exact cause of the failure is not known, but a similar event occurred last August. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin commented that the Russian space agency Roscosmos may be struggling due to aging leadership.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
