The subsequent Launch of the Russian-Ukrainian carrier rocket "Dnepr" with 2 communication satellites Iridium, planned for October with the launch base in the Orenburg region, has been postponed to April 2016, said the Executive Director of the company-satellite operator Iridium Communications, Matthew dash.
"The launch will not take place Until April. After April start planned for August 2016 from Vandenberg air force base (California, USA) when on orbit are required to be withdrawn 10 Iridium satellites using Falcon 9 rocket the SpaceX production organization. Insurers Iridium want the Firm for a number of months have tested the first two satellites launched on a rocket "Dnepr" before you run the rest of the device, " the news Agency the words of the dash referring to SpaceNews.
according to his statement, the start of the last month of summer on Falcon will be the first of seven planned for the current rocket launches. Only Iridium is hoping to conduct 7 launches on Falcon Until September 2017. The launches will be carried out every two months, every time the orbit will be displayed on 10 Iridium satellites. Firm Iridium spent $ 3 billion, including 2, 3 billion contract with the French Thales Alenia Space for the production of 81 communication satellites. The price of the contract with the firm SpaceX launches on 7 amounted to $ 453, $ 1 million. In addition, Iridium has paid SpaceX an additional $ 3 million to reserve future launches and to provide low Cost re-start in case of disagreement, the Falcon rocket. Start with "the Dnieper" cost Iridium 51, 8 million dollars, of which $ 34 million has already been paid. In July, marketing Director, international space organization "Kosmotras" Evgeny Solodovnikov has informed that in Accordance with the contract subsequent to the start of the conversion carrier rocket "Dnepr" is scheduled for 2015. Prior to this it was announced that "instead of the Ukrainian plants technical support of the program "Dnepr" takes on sibagatulina rocket center named after Makeev (Miass, Chelyabinsk region) ". In mid-June the commander of the strategic missile forces Sergei Karakaev said that the strategic rocket forces (RVSN) have stopped the launches under the Dnepr program, during which destroyed an Intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 with passing deducing into space payloads." Dnepr " ? three-stage liquid rocket first and second stages which are established for ballistic missile RS-20. Conversion of a rocket launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and the base "Clear" near Orenburg. The previous Launch took place at the end of March 2015.

sections: Politics