Arabsat satellite can still reach orbit: Russian official

The Arabsat satellite that Russia launched on 28 February, but failed to put into its designated orbit, can still be delivered to an operational orbit, Russia's space agency chief said Tuesday.

"Our experts think it is possible to bring the Arab satellite to an operational orbit, where it can function for up to two years," Anatoly Perminov, head of the Federal Space Agency, was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as telling a press conference.

The Arabsat-4A telecommunication satellite lifted off atop a Proton-M booster rocket on Feb. 28 from the Baikonur cosmodrome inKazakhstan. The Briz-M upper stage on the rocket did not function properly and failed to deliver the satellite to a designated orbit.

"The launch cannot be described as a total failure, as the rocket functioned in a regular way," Perminov said. The satellite can reach an operational orbit on its own ngine,and it can also be used on other orbits for third countries, he said.

The Arabsat-4A is designed to provide digital television and telephone services to the Middle East, Europe and Asia for 15 years.

Source: Media Network, Xinhua

Latest news stories..

• Get our news headlines for your website • Submit your news story