Launch Of Russia Rocket Postponed
The launch of a Kosmos-3 booster from Russia's northern cosmodrome Plesetsk has been postponed from September 30 to a later date, reports Itar-Tass.
The chief of the press service of Space Troops, Colonel Alexei Kuznetsov, told Itar-Tass on Monday that the launch was put off until October because of a delay in the manufacture of Iran's satellite Sina-1 that will be a part of the payload of Mozhyets-5 satellite.
The manufacturer of the Iranian satellite is Omsk's company Polyot.
Kuznetsov said that Kosmos-3 is to deliver into orbit Mozhayets and five remote probing satellites designed by the British company SSTI.
Mozhayets will be a main payload.
The launch of the research satellite that was developed in the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy was initially planned for August, but it was postponed because it was not ready.
Mozhayets is to replace similar satellites whose operation life has ended.
Possibilities of a long-range optical laser communications line will be checked and effects of space radiation on microelectronics examined using the satellite. It is also planned to use Mozhayets-5 in the educational process, Kuznetsov said.
The payment for the launch of the foreign satellites is to partially go into the reconstruction of hotel Zarya and the city of Mirny.
Foreign specialists engaged in future space projects will live in it.
Copyright 2005 by Space Daily, Distributed United Press International
