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Plane with space apparatus on board makes emergency landing because of engine failure

The plane made an emergency landing at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny international airport Tuesday because of the failure of the fourth plane engine

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. A transport plane "Ruslan" with a European space apparatus Astra 2G on board made an emergency landing at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny international airport Tuesday because of the failure of the fourth plane engine, spokeswoman for a regional Interior transport department Galina Grigorenko told TASS on Tuesday.

The plane cut short its flight from Moscow to Baikonur. The plane, which belongs to the Volga-Dnieper company, landed because of a technical defect on board, an unnamed source from the space rocket industry told TASS earlier. The space apparatus — Astra 2G, has not been damaged, the source said. The plane landed safely. No one was hurt in the incident, it said.

The "Astra" 2G satellite was to have been launched by a "Proton-M" carrier rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in the end of November to provide communications services to a number of countries in Europe, Central Africa and Asia.