Medvedev angered by failed Russian space launch
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says this week's failed space launch has dented the nation's prestige and those to blame must be held responsible.
A Proton booster rocket launched Monday failed to place two communications satellites into target orbits, a mishap that followed several other botched launches. An official investigation is under way.
Medvedev said Thursday the failure could have been caused by "sloppiness." He says he will chair a government meeting next week to look into the case and name those responsible for the failure.
Russia's space program has suffered a series of humiliating failures blamed on manufacturing flaws and engineering mistakes. They included the loss of a robotic probe designed to study a moon of Mars that was launched in November and eventually came crashing down in January.
AP
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