When it comes to launching satellites, the Russians can’t seem to catch a break.
Russia Loses Contact With Satellite After Rocket Launch
Russia’s Federal Space Agency lost contact with a new communications satellite shortly after it launched into space due to an apparent communication glitch on the spacecraft’s rocket, Russia’s space agency has reported.
The satellite, called Express-AM4, blasted off atop a Proton rocket on Wednesday (Aug. 17) at 5:25 p.m. EDT (2125 GMT) from the central Asian spaceport of Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where it was early Thursday morning local time.
According to a translated statement posted in Russian to the country’s Federal Space Agency website, officials said flight controllers lost contact with the satellite due to an apparent communications problem with the Proton rocket’s Breeze M upper stage. Later, another statement suggested that the rocket stage may have been found though the status of the Express-AM4 satellite was unclear.
. . .
The new rocket malfunction is the latest of several embarrassing Russian launch failures or incidents for Russia’s space program in a single year.
See also:
Missing satellite found off designated orbit
Lost Russian satellite found in wrong orbit
Russia loses newly launched telecom satellite
Russian Inquiry Into Express-AM4’s Anomaly…
Russia loses contact with $265-million Express-AM4 satellite shortly after launch
Satellite loss deals ‘severe blow’ to Russia: experts
Powerful communications satellite feared lost in space
Contact lost with freshly launched satellite in Russia
Missing satellite found off designated orbit
Russia loses contact with satellite after launch: reports
Russian Federal Mission Express-AM4 Anomaly Investigation Underway
Russia loses contact with just-launched £160m satellite in latest setback for its space industry
Russia loses contact with Europe’s biggest communications satellite
Russian satellite missing within hours of takeoff
Russia Loses Contact With Newly-Launched Satellite
Looking on the bright side, at least they don’t currently have this sort of problem with their manned space flights.
/which is a really good thing since, now that the U.S. space shuttle program is grounded, we depend on Russia to ferry out astronauts back and forth from the International Space Station
Filed under: Blog Entry | Tagged: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Blasted Off, Breeze M, Breeze M Upper Stage, Central Asian, Central Asian Spaceport, Communication Glitch, Communications Problem, Communications Satellite, Cosmodrome, Embarrassing, Express-AM4, Failures, Federal Space Agency, Flight Controllers, Incidents, International Space Station, ISS, Kazakhstan, Launch, Launch Failures, Launched, Loses Contact, Malfunction, Officials, Proton Rocket, Reported, Rocket, Rocket Launch, Rocket Malfunction, Rocket Stage, Russia, Russian Launch Failures, Satellite, Single Year, Space, Space Agency, Space Program, Space Shuttle Program, Spacecraft, Spaceport, Status, Translated Statement, Unclear, Upper Stage | Leave a comment »
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