Posted: Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 2:27 PM ET (1927 GMT)
The upper stage of an Angara rocket launched Monday reportedly malfunctioned, stranding it in a low transfer orbit. The Angara-A5 rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 2:00 pm EST (1900 GMT). The launch was a test flight, with the rocket's Persei upper stage performing a series of burns to place an inert payload into geostationary orbit. However, Russian sources said the second burn of the upper stage did not take place, keeping it in a transfer orbit likely to decay within days. Russian officials have not formally confirmed the problem, stating only that the initial phases of the launch were successful.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  TASS article