Russian satellite missing hours after launch, found off designated orbit

Guardian : The Russian Express-A4M satellite disappeared hours after it was sent into orbit from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, just as flight controllers began to celebrate the launch. It was later found to be still attached to its booster. Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, said that the satellite’s Briz-M unit, the booster responsible for positioning it correctly in high orbit, had fired correctly over four out of five stages, but contact was lost before the final firing. The agency later located the booster and, along with it, the satellite. The A-4M’s propulsion engine wasn’t designed for maneuvering with extra weight; unless it’s separated from the booster it will be unable to reach its designated geostationary orbit and station. The satellite, which is the largest communications satellite built in Europe thus far, was designed to provide digital television, telephone, and internet services across the former Soviet Union.