Russian Proton Rocket Fails to Orbit Japanese Communications Satellite
A Spaceflight Now article by Justin Ray, via Space.com, reports that:
Two minutes after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tonight, a Russian heavy-lifting Proton rocket suffered a malfunction of its second stage, leading to destruction of Japanese satellite payload riding aboard the booster.More here.
Destroyed in tonight's launch accident was the JCSAT-11 communications spacecraft, the first commercial Japanese satellite to ever fly on Proton.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the 8,800-pound (4,000-kilogram) spacecraft was headed for geostationary orbit 22,300 miles (35,786 kilometers) above the equator. JSAT Corp. of Tokyo would have operated the satellite to provide telecommunications services to Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and Hawaii.
posted by Fergie @ 9/05/2007 06:15:00 PM
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