ballistic missile, known in the West by its NATO classification -- the SS-18 "Satan." During the Cold War, the missile was considered the most powerful weapon in the Soviet nuclear arsenal. Currently, about 150 retired R-36M-type missiles have to be liquidated by 2007 in accordance with arms-control treaties between the United States and Russia. On Tuesday, Kosmotras representatives said the replacement rocket for the September launch was en route to Baikonur via rail from an unidentified strategic missile base in Russia. It will arrive at the launch facility in a few days.
Following the scrub last month, launch teams in Baikonur first unloaded the rocket's propellants, then undocked the payload module holding the five satellites and returned the unit to a processing building at Baikonur. The booster itself also was removed from the silo and will be shipped for evaluation, said a representative of Yuzhnoe Design Bureau in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, Dnepr's manufacturer.
Next weekend, payload-processing crews from Italy, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia will gather in Moscow, then fly back to Baikonur on July 11 to resume launch preparations, said Vladislav Solovei, Kosmotras marketing director.
"We will recharge the batteries on board the satellites, conduct additional electrical tests -- if customers want -- and reassemble the payload module," Solovei said.
Kosmotras hopes to launch the replacement Dnepr 1 from its underground launch pad in Baikonur's Area 109 as early as September 27.
According to Kosmotras, the latest launch delay will not result in financial penalties on the company. "We are well within deadlines determined by the contracts and there will be no fines if we launch at the end of September," Solovei said.
Future launches
Along with preparations for the current launch, Kosmotras is actively seeking new customers for future flights. The company plans to conduct two Dnepr launches next year. Kosmotras hopes to book four to seven payloads with a total mass of around 660 pounds (300 kilograms) for each mission in 2001.
Although no payload was lost or damaged in the August mishap, the cancellation of the launch was a public-relations setback for Kosmotras, struggling to make its way into very competitive satellite launching market.
As a result of the delay, several dozen officials and dignitaries from the countries participating in the mission, as well as potential customers, had to leave Baikonur without witnessing the launch. "Of course, it was not much fun," Solovei said, "nevertheless, all our customers expressed their understanding of the situation."
The Dnepr 1 booster completed a single mission in April 1999, successfully delivering to orbit a small British satellite.
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