The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with the Progress MS-04 cargo ship is installed
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with the Progress MS-04 cargo ship is installed  
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Russian Space Ship Malfunctions, Breaks Up On Its Way To International Space Station

BySwarajya Staff

An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship heading to the International Space Station broke up in the atmosphere over Siberia on Thursday due to an unspecified malfunction. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke up at an altitude of 190 km over the remote Tuva region along the border with Mongolia.

Local people reported seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud thud west of the regional capital of Kyzyl, more than 3,600 kilometers east of Moscow. The Progress cargo ship had lifted off on schedule from Russia's space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to deliver 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies. It was set to dock with the space station on Saturday.

Russian space agency Roscosmos has said the craft was operating normally before it stopped transmitting data a few minutes after the launch. This was the third botched launch of a Russian spacecraft in two years. The agency has not described the malfunction, saying its experts are looking into it.