A Russian rocket exploded in mid-air seconds after blasting off, killing one man and injuring eight, emergency officials said today.
The Soyuz-U rocket was launching a Photon-M satellite from Russia's Plesetsk military cosmodrome when it blew up 16 seconds after lift-off and crashed into a nearby forest last night.
The satellite had been scheduled to make a 15-day voyage around Earth carrying scientific experiments for the European Space Agency, the United States, Canada, Indonesia and Japan.
A space agency spokesman said engine malfunction may have been responsible for the crash.
READ MORE
AFP