spacetoday.net: First Angara launch scrubbed

Posted: Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 10:17 AM ET (1417 GMT)
Angara on pad before first launch (Russian MoD)

The first launch of a new Russian launch vehicle was scrubbed minutes before liftoff Friday because of a technical problem. The Angara-1.2 rocket was slated to lift off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 7:15 am EDT (1115 GMT, 3:15 pm Moscow time) on a suborbital test flight. However, computers stopped the countdown about three minutes before liftoff, and the launch was scrubbed for the day. Initial reports gave no reason for the scrub, but some later reports indicated a leaking valve triggered the scrub. The launch is tentatively rescheduled for Saturday. Angara is a modular launch vehicle that has been under development for two decades. The Angara-1.2 version is designed for smaller payloads, while other versions, using several core boosters, are designed for larger payloads.