6 Dec 2010

Three Russian satellites crash into Pacific near Hawaii

5:58 am on 6 December 2010

Three Russian satellites crashed into the Pacific Ocean yesterday after a failed launch.

Russian news agencies reported that the satellites went off course and crashed near Hawaii after blasting off from Russia's Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.

A spokesman at the space agency Roscosmos could not confirm media reports but said the satellites had deviated from their planned course after a rocket launcher malfunctioned in what he described as an unplanned situation.