Kazakhstan Opens Criminal Probe Into Russian Rocket Crash
July 31, 2006
The launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome (AFP)
Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said the decision was made after experts determined that the area where the rocket fell is polluted with heptyl, a highly toxic fuel. The ministry said heptyl concentration in the scarcely populated territory where the accident occurred is 1,000 times higher than the maximum admissible levels.
Environmentalists say heptyl is a highly poisonous substance widely used in the Russian space industry.
The RS-20 (Dnyepr) rocket crashed 73 seconds after taking off from the Baikonur launchpad. It was carrying several satellites, including what should have been Belarus' first-ever satellite.
The cause of the accident is unknown. Preliminary reports suggest the rocket crashed after its third section detached.
(Kazakhstan Today, Interfax-Kazakhstan)