Astra 2G arrives in Baikonur
October 29, 2014
By Chris Forrester
After an emergency aircraft landing made in the early hours of October 28th, the giant Antonov-124 cargo plane took off from the Ulyanovsk airstrip later in the day having fixed the errant engine. The aircraft was carrying Astra 2G for SES of Luxembourg, scheduled for launch later next month.
Taisia Nikitenko, a PR spokesperson for the plane’s owner Volga-Dneiper Group, said that the aircraft’s pilot had noticed an increase in an engine’s temperature, and so the engine was switched off. After landing “safely” the aircraft underwent maintenance and “several parts” replaced prior to continuing its journey to Kazakhstan.
Volga-Dneiper stressed that the satellite remained safely in its air-conditioned transportation container and the November launch is unlikely to be postponed.