MOSCOW — A Saudi-sponsored communications satellite has failed to
enter space orbit.
A Russian carrier rocket has failed to place into orbit the ArabSat-4A,
a telecommunications satellite produced by EADS. Russian officials
attributed the failure on a mishap of the Proton-M launch vehicle.
The Proton was launched from the Baikonour space center in Kazakhstan on
Tuesday at 2010 GMT, Middle East Newsline reported. Proton entered the atmosphere and the 3.3 ton ArabSat
separated from the launch vehicle.
Officials said the system designed to place ArabSat into a geostationary
orbit of 35,700 kilometers misfired. The system was identified as the
Breeze-M accelerator, which became detached from the satellite before its
planned final orbiting position.
This was the first failure of the Breeze-M in 14 flights. In 2002,
International Launch Services, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and
Moscow's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, began using
the Breeze-M for Proton launches.
"Preliminary flight information indicates that the Breeze-M upper stage
shut down early during its planned burn sequence," ILS said in a statement.
"As a contingency, the satellite was separated. We cannot comment on the
disposition of the spacecraft at this time."
ArabSat-4A was produced by EADS Astrium for the Saudi ArabSat
corporation. The satellite, designed to have a shelf life of 15 years, was
designed to facilitate broadcasts in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Russia's Roskosmos federal space agency sought to operate
ArabSat's microengines in an effort to correct the position of the
satellite. But sources involved in the
launch said the satellite could not be rescued.
"It's doubtful that they will be able to use it as a space
telecommunications device as planned," an engineer involved in the launch
told the RIA Novosti news agency.
