The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

angara space rocket complex Russia Abruptly Cancels Rocket Launch  - NYT Saturday June 28 th , 2014  at  1:23 PM 1 Share MOSCOW — The long-awaited inaugural launch of a new Russian space rocket, the Angara, was abruptly canceled on Friday just minutes before takeoff, the Russian space agency Roscosmos reported. The decision to abandon the high-profile launch prompted President Vladimir V. Putin to order that officials provide an explanation. The launch, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, was canceled after an automatic “abort” system was triggered for an unknown reason, officials said. Roscosmos tentatively rescheduled the launch for Saturday afternoon, suggesting, at least preliminarily, that the problem was not serious. The Angara rocket has been in development for more than 20 years, since shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is intended to become the primary vehicle for Russia’s unmanned space missions and