BAIKONUR. Jan 13 (Interfax) - The third-stage engine of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle, which will deliver the next resupply ship, Progress MS-05, into orbit, will be replaced in light of the previous mission's failure, a Baikonur source told Interfax.
"The third stage of the launch vehicle will be taken to the manufacturing plant in Samara, which will replace the engine," the source said.
He said the decision was made after an inquiry into the December wreck of the Progress MS-04 resupply ship.
Progress MS-05 is due to head for the International Space Station (ISS) in February.
Progress MS-04 launched from Baikonur to deliver over 2 tonnes of freight to the ISS but failed to reach the designated orbit on December 1, 2016. Contact with the Progress was lost after a contingency event at an approximate altitude of 190 kilometers in a difficult-to-access area of Tuva. The investigative committee blamed the defective third-stage engine of the Soyuz-U LV for the wreck.