Posted: Thu, May 10, 2001, 12:18 PM ET (1618 GMT)
A fire at a Russian ground station has caused a loss of contact with four military spacecraft, the BBC and CNN reported Thursday. The fire broke out early Thursday at the Serpukhov command post 250 kilometers from Moscow and burned for 12 hours before being contained. Russian military officials said the fire caused them to lose contact with four orbiting spacecraft, which were not identified but speculated by CNN to be part of an early-warning system. Officials said the loss of communication with the spacecraft was temporary and they expected to restore contact with the spacecraft soon, likely from another ground station.

Related Links:

•  BBC article
•  CNN article