Russian rocket with Mexican payload burns up
A Russian rocket carrying a Mexican telecommunications satellite has burned up in the atmosphere, the Russian Federal Space Agency says.
The Proton-M rocket suffered telemetry problems after its launch from Kazakhstan causing it and its payload to burn up in the atmosphere, Roscosmos confirmed in a statement released on Saturday.
“The failure happened at an altitude of 161 kilometers. The third stage, the booster vehicle and the spacecraft completely burned up in atmosphere. As of now there are no reports of debris reaching the ground,” the statement said.
According to initial reports, parts of the rocket and satellite may have fallen in Russia’s Chita region near the border with Mongolia.
According to local authorities, there have been no reports of any manner of debris landing in the region.
“If there were any casualties or damage, we would have known by now,” RIA Novosti quoted a spokesman for the local branch of the emergencies ministry as saying.
Reports also emerged that up to 10 tons of highly toxic fuel remained in the tank of the Proton’s third stage after the incident which may cause problems if it reaches the ground.
The subject was refuted by Russia’s meteorology service, Roshydromet, as it said that “there’s no threat of environmental pollution in Russia and neighboring countries as a result of the accident.”
The head of the Space Policy Institute, Ivan Moiseev, also refuted any manner of environmental issues, saying, "There’s nothing left [of the fuel], everything burnt out. It’s coming from a high altitude and great speed. There’s also additional heating in the atmosphere. Everything burns out [in such conditions].”
SRK/NT/AS
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