MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2021) The first commercial launch of Russia's Angara-1.2 light carrier rocket with South Korean satellite KOMPSAT-6 was postponed to 2022 as the satellite is not ready yet, cancellation of the launch is also possible, but the rocket will be put to good use anyway, the general director of Russia's Khrunichev research and production space center told Sputnik in an interview.
"We are manufacturing the carrier rocket. As the satellite is not yet ready due to the pandemic, South Korean partners have asked us once again to delay the launch, using their third chance to postpone the launch without paying a fine. The launch is now scheduled for the second quarter of 2022," Alexei Varochko said.
If Seoul fails to perform the terms of the contract, the Khrunichev center will make a decision on alternative use of the rocket, Varochko assured.
The contract to launch KOMPSAT-6 on Angara-1.2 was signed back in 2016. The launch was initially planned for 2020 but then postponed to 2021.
