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First liftoff from Russia's Vostochny spaceport postponed due to glitch

Xinhua, April 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The first rocket launch from Russia's Vostochny spaceport in the Far Eastern Amur region was postponed because the automated control system malfunctioned, the space agency Roscosmos said Wednesday.

"The cancellation of the Soyuz-2.1a launch from Vostochny cosmodrome was due to a shutdown command by the automatic control system, and the repair work is underway," Roscosmos said in a statement.

The rocket carrying three satellites was scheduled to lift off at 5:01 a.m. Moscow time (0201 GMT) on Wednesday, but the launch was canceled just over one minute before the planned time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was at the launch site, decided to stay at Vostochny spaceport until Thursday waiting clarification of the prospects of a new launch, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

There are reasons to believe that problems with the launch can be solved within 24 hours, according to Roscosmos CEO Igor Komarov.

But RIA Novosti news agency, quoting a source in the space industry, reported that the delay may take longer than 24 hours, while no further official clarification was given.

Vostochny spaceport is destined to become the first national facility for civilian space launches, ensuring Russia's full-scale access to outer space and reducing dependence of the space industry on the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Endi