MOSCOW. Feb 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The Zenit-3SL launch vehicle dropped back into the Pacific Ocean some 60 seconds after takeoff as part of Sea Launch program on Friday, Energia Rocket and Space Corporation General Designer Vitaly Lopota told journalists.
"The engine of the first stage operated for around 60 seconds, after which its emergency shutdown occurred," he said.
"This is all I can tell you at the moment. The telemetry is being analyzed. There should be more clarity by the end of the day," he said.
The program's command vessel and launch pad were not damaged as a result of the accident, Lopota said.
Asked when launches could be resumed as part of this program, Lopota said that "the [investigative] commission ought to finish its work, and a decision on further launches will be made depending on its conclusions."
"There is not a single country that can tell you an hour after a disaster when the next launch will take place," he said.
The Sea Launch program said on its website that the Zenit rocket malfunctioned 40 seconds after takeoff from the Odyssey platform.