Russian state space agency Roscosmos has attributed the delays in launching its Gonets-M communication satellites to a pause in carrier rocket deliveries from Ukraine
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2018) Russian state space agency Roscosmos has attributed the delays in launching its Gonets-M communication satellites to a pause in carrier rocket deliveries from Ukraine.
"The launch of Gonets-M spacecraft was postponed to 2018 over the absence of deliveries of Briz-KM upper stage components by Ukrainian contractors," a report out Friday read.
Russia is building a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to extend its communications reach to remote and hard-to-get-to locations, including beyond the Arctic Circle, as well as for industrial, transport and ecological monitoring.
At the end of last year, it was reported that three Gonets-M satellites - No. 24, 25, and 26 - would be launched in 2018 as soon as a Rokot carrier rocket was ready.
Earlier in November, Roscosmos said the launch of the three satellites would be pushed back to 2019.
