MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three Glonass satellites veered off course seconds after its launch from Kazakhstans Baikonur space center early Tuesday, crashing in a large fireball.
There was an accident during the Proton-M launch. The rocket fell and exploded on the territory of the launch site, a spokesman for Russias Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said.
There were no reported casualties, but officials said a cloud of poisonous smoke was generated by the rockets burning fuel and could spread across the local area. An emergency evacuation of personnel at the site was underway, according to Russian media reports.It is the second unsuccessful launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket with Russias flagship Glonass positioning system on board in the last three years, and is another setback for Moscows space program.
