Blow for Putin as Russia 'loses contact' with spacecraft after 'successful' launch
RUSSIA today “lost contact” with a newly launched spacecraft after what appeared to be a "successful" launch from its lavish new cosmodrome in Siberia.
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The Meteor-M weather satellite failed to reach its target orbit.
Space officials were scrambling to analyse the data after the glitch which followed an apparently smooth launch from the far east of Russia.
The unmanned Soyuz-2.1b rocket was launched with a Fregat booster.
Contact was lost Meteor-M spacecraft after it reached its intermediate orbit.
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All the initial stages of the rocket's flight went according to plan
"During the first planned communication session an attempt to establish connection failed due to the spacecraft's absence on the target orbit," said the Roscosmos website.
"Currently all information is being analysed."
Interfax earlier cited an unnamed source saying there had been a two hour communication silence from the orbiting craft.
Earlier Roscosmos said: 'All the initial stages of the rocket's flight went according to plan.'
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The launch was aimed to put the Meteor-M weather satellite and 18 other payloads into orbit.
Clients from Canada, the United States, Japan, Germany, Sweden and Norway had equipment on the launch.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that such contracts would help Russia modernise its space industry.
"The launch of foreign devices with the help of Russian launch vehicles should strengthen our positions on the global market of space services and increase the volume of extra-budgetary funds and investments,'"he said.
The first launch from Vostochny spaceport took place in April 2016, with President Vladimir Putin overseeing the take-off, but it was postponed at the last minute before a successful second attempt.
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The third launch from Vostochny is scheduled for December 22.
'The programme of launches will continue next year - it will grow, increase,' said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, ahead of today's problem.
Vostochny, located in the Amur region, which borders north-eastern China, is intended to reduce Russia's dependence on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which Russia leases in the former Soviet, Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan.
However the space port has been dogged by corruption and cost overshoots.
