MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax-AVN) - A Rokot launch vehicle carrying several satellites is due to blast off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on Tuesday, Russian Aerospace Defense Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin told Interfax-AVN.
"The launch was initially set for December 2012, but was rescheduled by the State Commission until January 15 due to a defect in the Briz-KM upper stage of the Rokot launch vehicle," he said.
Earlier reports said that the Rokot launch had been postponed because of the upper stage's faulty control unit.
Rokot launch vehicles are derived from converted RS-18 two-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to place satellites weighing less than two tonnes into low near-Earth orbits. These rockets, which have a launch weight of 107 tonnes, are powered by fuel with toxic propellants.