Thursday, August 5, 2010

Ukraine Postpones Delivery Of Taurus-II Launch Vehicle's First Stage To US


Ukraine's state owned company "Yuzhmash" based in eastern city Dnipropetrovsk postponed the delivery of the basic part of the Taurus-II launch vehicle's first stage to a U.S. company, the Ukranian company said in a statement on Tuesday.

"For some technical reasons, the delivery date has been put off to September-October," the statement said.

The delivery was reportedly scheduled for August.

The two-stage launch vehicle is designed to transport loads of up to five tons into low orbit.

In 2008, Ukraine's companies "Yuzhnoye" and "Yuzhmash" signed a long-term contract with U.S. Orbital Sciences Corp. on cooperation in producing Taurus-II rocket till 2019.

According to the document the Ukrainian side is responsible for designing and producing the first stage of the launch vehicle, the U.S. side for the second stage, ground complex and assembly.

The Taurus-II program is funded by NASA.

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