| Updated Thu, January 26th 2017 at 07:35 GMT +3The Proton-M rocket, carrying the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft to Mars, blasts off from the launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, March 14, 2016. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovRussia's space agency said on Wednesday it had ordered extra checks to be made on its Proton-M rockets, meaning it might be forced to delay some satellite launches this year. That explains the possible delay in launches," said a spokesman for Roscosmos, without providing details. Kommersant reported that the problem was linked to components used in the rockets' engines and concerns that some of them were not sufficiently heat-resistant. An unmanned Russian cargo ship loaded with supplies for the International Space Station broke apart about six minutes after lift-off in December.

Source: Standard Digital January 26, 2017 04:37 UTC