Human error is reportedly to blame for Russia's failed ‘Meteor-M’ satellite launch

Russia’s “Meteor-M” satellite, launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome on November 28, likely failed to reach its calculated orbit due to a human error in the flight assignment of its Soyuz rocket carrier and Fregat booster rocket, a source told the news agency Interfax.

The incorrect trajectory reportedly caused the rocket carrying the satellite to fall from the atmosphere into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday morning.

The Meteor-M launch is the second launch in the history of the Vostochny cosmodrome. On April 28, 2016, three spacecraft successfully launched from the site.