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Kosmotras Launches Again
apsmith writes "When somebody says "world space power", how many of you think of Ukraine? Kosmotras has done it again though, with a third $1000/pound launch December 20, 2002 to low Earth orbit of six spacecraft on the Dnepr (formerly SS-18 ICBM) launch vehicle. Among the six were a variety of small European, South American, and one Saudi satellite, and a 'dummy' of the commercial TrailBlazer craft headed to the Moon next year. The Rubin2 craft launched yesterday is also of interest, as it will be the first Internet-controlled spacecraft to operate 24 hours a day without having to use ground stations."
They appear to have some staff working on manufacturing in Ukraine, so it would seem that they may have the capability to build new rockets. However, I'm sure it's much more cost-effective for them to buy SS-18's from the Russian military. Given the former USSR's massive aresenal of ICBMs, this is probably a sound business plan for at least the next two decades. By that time, I sure hope we have better ways of getting payloads into orbit than by sitting them atop a couple hundred tons of solid fuel.