Russian Proton rocket to return to work
August 6, 2013
By Chris Forrester
Russia’s Proton-M rocket will restart launches in September, according to the deputy head of the Russian Space Agency, Alexander Lopatin.
A Proton-M rocket failed spectacularly on July 2nd forcing Russia to suspend launches while an investigation took place as to the cause of the failure. That investigation, while not yet made public, reportedly suggests that key altitude sensors were incorrectly fitted.
Lopatin said he was hopeful that by the end of this year around 5 launches could take place. The first, he said, would be for a “foreign” client.
Standing by, ready for launch, is Sirius-FM6 for the pay-radio broadcaster. SES of Luxembourg also has Astra 2E ready for launch.