Latest Rokot Stories

MOSCOW -- Russian space officials Monday set a Nov. 9 blastoff for a European probe to explore Venus after its earlier launch was postponed because of a booster rocket problem.Engineers will be able to fix the flaws by that date, the Federal Space Agency said in scheduling the launch at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.The European Space Agency's Venus Express probe was originally set to be launched Oct. 26 by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket, but a problem arose with thermal...

MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian satellite has failed to reach its designated orbit, news reports said Friday in the latest is a series of mishaps that have dented the prestige of the country's space program. The Mozhayets-5 satellite, intended for optical experiments, was launched Thursday by the Kosmos-3M booster rocket from the northern Plesetsk cosmodrome. Space officials have lost contact with the satellite, which failed to enter its planned orbit, the ITAR-Tass, Interfax and RIA Novosti news...

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia suspended launches of a rocket used in a failed mission to put a European satellite into orbit to map polar ice, news reports Sunday said. The Rokot booster rocket will not be launched again pending the outcome of an investigation into Saturday's unsuccessful launch, state-run Rossiya television reported, citing the Russian space agency. Space agency officials could not immediately be reached Sunday to confirm the report. The rocket's second stage failed to separate...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A European satellite designed to measure how fast the polar ice caps are melting crashed into the Arctic Ocean after its launch went wrong, the Russian agency that launched it was quoted as saying on Saturday. The European Space Agency's Cryosat satellite was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia but failed to establish communication at the scheduled time. "We believe the satellite ... fell where the second rocket stage is supposed to fall, that is...

ESA -- The expectations of ice researchers across Europe are currently focused on a region of taiga woodland in Russia's far north. Located in a forest clearing is Pad LC133 of Plesetsk Cosmodrome, where above the tree-line on a Rockot launcher stands ESA's CryoSat satellite, due to start its flight into orbit this Saturday at 17:02 CEST. The first of ESA's Earth Explorer series - missions tailored to respond to particular needs of the Earth science community - CryoSat will use a...