Russian Launch Fails To Put Three Nav Satellites In Orbit

Russia attempted to put three new Glonass-M navigation satellite into orbit over the weekend. The launch failed to loft the satellites into orbit and resulted in the loss of all three satellites. A launch failure was noted shortly after the 5:25 a.m. launch on December 5.

The satellites reportedly crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 1500 km northwest of Honolulu. Each of the satellites weighed 3,000 pounds at lift off and were designed to last for seven years in orbit. The satellites were the third batch of launch this year.

Officials with the Russian Federal Space Agency said, "According to telemetry, the spacecraft's cluster was lofted into non-targeted orbit." The cause of the failed launch is under investigation at this time. The area of the Pacific that the satellites crashed into was a non-navigational area according to Russian officials.