The first flight of Russia's Soyuz-ST-B carrier rocket from the European space centre in French Guiana has been scheduled for August 31, 2011, the Progress design bureau said on Wednesday.
The first launch of a Russian space rocket from a site outside Moscow's control has been delayed while engineers test a service tower. A modified Soyuz cargo ship had been due to take off before the end of this year from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. Its location close to the equator means less fuel is needed to reach a geostationary orbit than launches from Russia's Baikonur site in Kazakhstan. The new vehicle will be able to carry payloads of up to 3 tonnes into orbit, nearly double the weight that can be launched from Baikonur. Read more
Russian Soyuz-ST rocket launch from Kourou set for April 2010 The first launch of Russia's Soyuz-ST carrier rocket from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana has been scheduled for the beginning of April 2010. Source Novosti