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Russia Reportedly Loses Military Satellite

February 01, 2011

Russia has ordered a search for a missing military satellite that apparently was put into the wrong orbit shortly after launch today.

Russian news agencies say the defense ministry and the Russian space agency have set up a joint task force to look for the missing craft. There was no independent confirmation of the report.

The Geo-IK-2 satellite was intended to help the military survey land and to produce a detailed three-dimensional map of the earth.

The incident comes a month after President Dmitry Medvedev sacked two top space officials for a similar setback and delivered another humiliating blow to Russia's space industry.

compiled from agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia_missing_satellite/2294578.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.