Russia has delayed the launch of its next manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS), after an unmanned cargo vessel crashed following its launch last week. Officials said the return of the three crew members from the space station will also be delayed. The launch had been scheduled for 22 September. Officials now say it will happen in late October at the earliest. The move comes days after Russia grounded its fleet of Soyuz rockets. Investigators have said they want to determine the cause of last week's crash before launching further flights. The unmanned Russian Progress M-12M cargo ship was carrying three tonnes of supplies for the astronauts on the ISS. Those astronauts will now return to earth around 16 September instead of 8 September.
News On AIR | August 29, 2011 10:30 PM
Russia delays next manned space flight