MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian Proton-M carrier rocket launches, suspended earlier this year following a series of failures, will be renewed August 28, spacecraft and launch systems producer Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center announced Wednesday.
"The next launch is planned to be implemented with the British telecommunications Inmarsat-5F3 satellite. According to the new schedule of launches… this launch is scheduled for August 28," the statement said.
On May 16, a Proton-M carrier rocket was to deliver the Mexican MexSat-1 satellite into orbit, but shortly after launching the rocket lost its telemetry, later burning up in the atmosphere upon reentry.
The May failure was one of seven over the past five years.
The Proton-M is the largest carrier rocket in Russia's fleet of space launch vehicles. The rocket has lifted dozens of Russian-made and foreign satellites since it was first launched in 2001.
