Russia Delays 2012 Military Launches After Satellite Failure

Russia will delay launches of military spacecraft this year because of a failed satellite launch last month, a top defense official said on Tuesday.

By Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published September 4, 2012

Russia will delay launches of military spacecraft this year because of a failed satellite launch last month, a top defense official said on Tuesday.

The delays will be "insignificant," Russian Space Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said.

Two telecommunictaions satellites were lost on August 7 due to a failure in the Russian Proton-M rocket's upper stage.

Ostapenko said the launches will be put on hold until the findings of a government probe into the incident are fully looked into, as the Briz-M upper stages are also used to hoist military spacecraft into orbit.

Several senior space officials have been sacked over the failure.

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Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team

The Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Nuclear Power Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.