Russian Booster Crashes in Kazakhstan, No Casualties Reported

The Russian booster rocket launched from the Baykonur space launch facility fell in the Kazakh steppe in the early hours today failing to put into the calculated orbit a Japanese communications satellite, NTV said on 6 September.

Preliminary reports suggest that during the flight the rocket’s second stage malfunctioned. The Russian Federal Space Agency has refused to comment on the accident so far on the grounds that the investigation is not yet completed.

The booster rocket fell 40 km from a village in Kazakhstan 139 seconds after the launch. No casualties or destruction have been reported, Ekho Moskvy radio said on 6 September.

Sources: NTV, Moscow, in Russian 0400 gmt 6 Sep 07; Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian 0400 gmt 6 Sep 07

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