BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/07/2006

Belarus Loses Satellite

A Russian Dnepr rocket carrying satellites crashed shortly after take-off late Wednesday from the Kazakh launch pad of Baikonur.

RIA Novosti said the first and second stages of the rocket failed to separate correctly after 86 seconds of flight, causing the Dnepr -- a converted intercontinental missile -- to crash.

News agencies said the rocket was carrying the Belka, a monitoring satellite that would have been Belarus' first man-made object in space, along with 17 other satellites.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was on hand for the launch. (Reuters)

Source:

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/07/28/031.html