The launch of the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 (SS-18 Satan according to the western classification) with 5 foreign satellites aboard has been postponed owing to technical reasons for an unspecified time, the press service for the Russian Strategic Missile Forces told Interfax on Saturday morning.
The rocket also known as the Dnepr carrier rocket was to be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 2 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday. This was the second attempt to launch the rocket. The start on Friday was aborted for technical reasons when the final pre-launch operations were under way.
The rocket, a prototype of a new Russian booster ‘Dnepr,’ had to place five minor space vehicles belonging to Italy, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia into orbit, the press service for the Russian Strategic Missile Forces told Interfax earlier. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia would have launched their own satellites for the first time.
Two satellites had to be launched under a contract with Italy. The Megsat space vehicle weighing 56 kilos is designed for environment control and is also equipped with transmitting devices for commercial use. The second vehicle, Unisat, weighing 10 kilos and belonging to the University of Rome, could be employed for educational and scientific purposes.
Another two satellites, the Saudisat-1A and Saudisat-1B weighing 10 kilos each and designed for solving educational and scientific tasks, were to be launched under a contract with the Saudi Arabian Space Research Institute. The fifth vehicle, the Tiungsat satellite weighing 52 kilos and belonging to Malaysia’s state company is equipped with instruments for distant probing of the Earth.
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