MOSCOW, June 22 (RIA Novosti) - The launching of the Cosmos-1 experimental satellite failed late Tuesday night, a Northern Fleet official said.
"The launch vehicle's engine stopped during the 83d second of the flight, and the satellite was not put into orbit," he said.
He added that crews are searching for the launch vehicle and the satellite.
Experts are studying flight information recorded before the booster fell.
"A commission to inquire into the incident may be set up in the morning," the official said.
The Volna carrier rocket, equipped with a unique "light sail" device, took off from a Russian submarine in the Barents Sea at 11:46 Tuesday night.
It was the first experiment using "light sail" or "solar wind," what is in fact solar radiation, for space travel.
When in orbit, the 112-kg satellite was to unfold the "light sail," which has eight blades and an overall area of around 650 sq m, or the size of about 1.5 basketball courts.
Kosmos-1 was expected to stay in orbit for a month to test American and Russian scientists' hypothesis that solar radiation can be used for space travel.
