29 Nov 2017 17:46

Glonass/GPS satellite navigation was turned off before Soyuz 2.1b launch, did not impact flight - source

MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) - The Glonass/GPS satellite navigation system did not affect the flight of the Fregat booster of the Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket, a source in the space industry told Interfax.

"This module was switched off before the start due to a detected malfunction. It has no effect on the completion of the flight program," the source said.

Insufficient coordination during the design of the air-tasking order for the carrier rocket and the booster remains the main working theory of the accident.

"The mismatching reference data used in designing the mission for the control system of the carrier rocket and the booster is the most likely cause of what has happened," the source said.