MOSCOW, Aug 30 (PRIME) — The Express-AM4 Russian communications satellite was put into the wrong orbit due to the failure of the Proton-M launch vehicles Briz-M upper stage, Russias Federal Space Agency said in a statement Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported.
The other systems worked properly, the agency said.
Russias Federal Space Agency Director Vladimir Popovkin has instructed the agency to find those responsible and to what degree.
Also, the ban on Proton launch vehicles with Briz upper stages was lifted after the cause of Express-AM4s malfunction was determined.
Russias Federal Space Agency failed to locate the Express-AM4 satellite on August 18.
Russias space industry has experienced a number of mishaps recently. On August 24, Russias Progress M-12M freighter spacecraft, launched from the Baikonur space launch facility using a Soyuz-2 rocket, crashed in the constituent republic of Altai, while the launch of three Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) satellites in late 2010 ended with the satellites crashing into the ocean.
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