spacetoday.net: Russian military satellite fails

Posted: Mon, Jul 3, 2006, 5:17 PM ET (2117 GMT)
A Russian military satellite launched last month has apparently failed in orbit, according to a Russian news report. An article in the Russian newspaper Kommersant on Monday claimed than one of two solar panels on the Kosmos 2421, or "Legend", reconnaissance satellite failed to deploy, and the spacecraft thus lacks the power to activate its surveillance payload. While the spacecraft's developers, the Arsenal Design Bureau, believe the problem can be resolved, Russian military officials are reportedly less optimistic, in part because the spacecraft was built 15 years ago and placed in storage until its June 25 launch. The spacecraft is believed to be a US-PU class naval signals reconnaissance satellite. The news comes the same day as Russian President Vladimir Putin told Defense Ministry officials that they need to increase the number of spacecraft in operation, as well as their quality.