A leak of toxic fuel was detected at Russian upper stage Fregat stored at Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, and Russian experts will depart there to deal with the issue in early June, a spokesperson for Russian space agency Roscosmos told Sputnik on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) A leak of toxic fuel was detected at Russian upper stage Fregat stored at Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, and Russian experts will depart there to deal with the issue in early June, a spokesperson for Russian space agency Roscosmos told Sputnik on Thursday.
"On May 21, the French side reported that an oxidizer [nitrogen tetraoxide] vapor detection system alarm periodically went off in the storage site of the Fregat booster at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana," the spokesperson said.
He noted that the leadership of NGO Lavochkin, Glavkosmos and TsENKI were taking all measures to organize the departure of a group of experts to French Guiana to assess the situation and ensure necessary measures.
"The arrival of the group in the Guiana Space Center is expected in the first decade of June 2020. All work will be carried out in compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements," he added.
This Fregat booster is stored in a facility that meets all international safety standards, including environmental ones, and does not pose a threat to staff and environment, the spokesperson added.
