Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Successfully Launches 4 U.S. Satellites Into Space

Donat Sorokin / TASS

Russia’s multi-billion-dollar spaceport in the Far East has successfully launched 11 satellites into orbit, including 4 commercial U.S. satellites, in the third-ever launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The last launch was delayed in November after a satellite crashed into the sea due to wrongly programmed coordinates, Russian officials said at the time. The $5-billion cosmodrome launched its first satellites into space in April 2016.

The Roscosmos Federal space agency said that two Russian earth observation satellites had entered into orbit as of early Thursday. It confirmed later that four U.S. and five German commercial nanosatellites were also successfully deployed.

“I will begin by congratulating all of you with today’s successful launch,” Igor Komarov, the head of Roscosmos, was cited as saying by the RBC business portal.

“Before the end of the year, we are planning two more launches in the second half of the year,” he added.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more