Posted: Wed, Dec 25, 2002, 9:54 AM ET (1454 GMT)
A Russian Proton booster successfully launched three navigation satellites early Wednesday. The Proton-K booster lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:38 am EST (0738 GMT) and placed into orbit three Glonass navigation spacecraft. The spacecraft are among the last of the current generation of Glonass spacecraft to be launched as Russia works to replenish its constellation of navigation spacecraft: the final two Glonass spacecraft will be launched in the second quarter of 2003 along with one next-generation Glonass-M spacecraft. The launch was the first for the Proton-K since the failed launch last month of the Astra 1K commercial communications satellite. A Rosavioakosmos official told AFP that the failed launch, blamed on an unspecified problem with the booster's Block DM upper stage, was a "singular failure" that will not affect future launches. Wednesday's launch was the second Russian flight in less than 24 hours: a Molniya-M booster launched a military spacecraft Tuesday from Plesetsk. Another Proton launch is scheduled for late Sunday, when a modernized Proton-M booster will launch the Nimiq 2 commercial communications spacecraft.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  AFP article
•  RIA Novosti article about launch
•  RIA Novosti article about Glonass spacecraft