Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva says the country's space programme will continue despite its third VLS satellite launcher exploding on the pad at Alcântara on 22 August, killing 21 people. He has vowed that the indigenously developed VLS, which also failed on its first two launches, will make a successful flight before 2006.
Damage to the Alcântara launch complex is estimated at $33 million, compared with the country's $12 million annual space budget. Brazil has invited up to 10 specialists from Russian aerospace agency Rosaviakosmos to assist in the investigation of the explosion, thought to have been caused by the ignition of one of the four solid-rocket boosters (Flight International, 2-8 September).
Source: Flight International
