Russia's Proton-M Carrier Rocket Sent Into Space With Sealed Crack - Source

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2019) Russian Proton-M carrier rocket was sent into space with a fracture that was successfully sealed, a source from the Russian space industry told Sputnik.

The launch, initially scheduled for June 21, was postponed to July 12 and then to July 13.

On Tuesday, Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos' spokesman, Vladimir Ustimenko said that it was due to problems with a chemical storage battery of the observatory. The successful blastoff took place on July 13, at 3.31 p.m. Moscow time (12:31 GMT) from the Baikonur space center.

"First in June, and then one day before the main start date, a small crack was discovered in the second-stage of Proton-M carrier rocket. It was sealed only at the second attempt," a source said.