Posted: Fri, Dec 20, 2002, 8:16 PM ET (0116 GMT)
A Russian Dnepr rocket successfully launched six satellites on Friday, including a prototype of a planned commercial lunar mission. The Dnepr-1 booster, a refurbished SS-18 ICBM, lifted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan at approximately 12:00 pm EST (1700 GMT) and placed its payload of six spacecraft into orbits of 650-700 km inclined 65 degrees to the Equator. Included in the Dnepr payload is a model of TrailBlazer, a spacecraft being developed by US-based TransOrbital to orbit the Moon. The real TrailBlazer is scheduled to be launched on another Dnepr booster next year. Also launched on the Dnepr were LatinSat-A and LatinSat-B, twin microsatellites that will be used by Aprize Satellite of Argentina to test out technologies for future constellations of "little LEO" communications satellite constellations. The other three payloads were technology demonstration microsatellites for German, Italian, and Saudi Arabian customers.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Interfax article
•  AP article