Russia Postpones Launch Of German Spy Satellite

Moscow: The launch of a Russian carrier rocket with a German satellite from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia has been postponed until March 26 due to poor weather, a spokesman for Russia's Space Forces said on Tuesday. The German SAR-Lupe satellite is designed to provide high-resolution radar images to NATO military commanders in Europe. It offers spatial resolution of less than 1 meter, and allows imaging at night and through clouds.

"The launch of a Cosmos 3M carrier rocket with a SAR-Lupe satellite has been delayed for 24 hours due to strong winds in the upper layers of the atmosphere," Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said.

Russia's Space Forces previously conducted three SAR-Lupe launches in 2006-2007, under a 2003 contract between Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and German Cosmos International Satellitenstart Gmbh (a subsidiary of OHB Systems AG), which stipulates five SAR-Lupe launches until 2009.

The Cosmos 3M is a liquid-fueled two-stage rocket, first launched in 1967, with over 410 successful launches to date. The booster has been designed to lift a payload of up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) into low, medium, and high orbits.