KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – A Russian rocket carrying a Mexican satellite malfunctioned Saturday shortly after its launch – the latest mishap to hit Russia’s troubled space industry, whose Soviet-era glory has been tarnished by a series of launch failures.
The rocket, a Proton-M, was launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan. Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, said a problem involving steering engines occurred in the rocket’s third stage about eight minutes into its flight, 161 kilometers (97 miles) above the Earth. The agency said the rocket and Boeing-constructed satellite did not reach their planned orbit and almost all of the debris from the two burned up in the atmosphere.
Authorities in eastern Siberia still searched for any possible debris in the Zabaikalsky region bordering Mongolia and China, Russian news agencies reported. There was no word if any was found.
The last failed launch of a Proton-M occurred exactly a year ago, also causing the loss of a telecommunications satellite. Since then, there have been six successful flights.
The Interfax news agency quoted industry sources saying the crash could result in the suspension of all upcoming Proton-M launches, including the next one in June for a British satellite.