Russia's New Rocket Won't Fit in Its New Cosmodrome

Found on The Moscow Times on Sunday, 04 October 2015
Browse Astronomy

Work at Russia's new $ 3 billion spaceport in the Far East has ground to a halt after a critical piece of infrastructure was discovered to have been built to the wrong dimensions, and would not fit the latest version of the country's Soyuz rocket, a news report said.

The project has come under strict scrutiny from Russian officials such as President Vladimir Putin - who last year demanded the facility be ready for a first launch in December 2015 - and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who has threatened to rip the heads off any contractors that slow up construction efforts.

Unlike in other nations, in Russia "ripping off heads" will probably really happen after such a blunder.