Rocket fails, falls down near village in Russia’s North
The launch of the experimental Angara A5 from the Plesetsk Space Center flops.
The rocket landed near a local village.
The wellbeing of local villagers is uncertain as news agencies confirm that the Angara A5 rockets lands near the village of Zabolotye in Arkhangelsk Oblast.
The regional Ministry of Emergency Situations however argues that the failed launch and crash of the object “does not pose any threat to the local population”. According to ministry representatives, neither the rocket fuel, nor other rocket components, include any substances dangerous for humans, Interfax reports.
The village is located about ten kilometers from the launch site.
Experimental launch
The Angara A5 rocket was launched in an experimental launch in cooperation with a Russian military plant, Interfax reports.
The A5 heavy lift launch vehicle is the second Angara rocket developed. The rocket based on solid fuel weighs 773 tonnes at lift-off. It has a payload capacity of 24.5 tonnes to a 200 km x 60° orbit, Wikipedia informs.
It is not the first time that a rocket lands near the Zabolotye. Over the years, a number of rocket components have landed in the area. Several of them contain poisonous and contaminating substances dangerous to the local environment and the local population.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canadian web documentary highlights Arctic science, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Northern lights could be visible from southern Finland this weekend, Yle News
Sweden: Sweden’s Arctic space centre sets sights on satellite launches, Radio Sweden
Norway: Norway’s polar satellite centre, Deutsche Welle’s Iceblogger
United States: Auroral research rocket blasts into space from Alaska range, Alaska Dispatch News
