Soviet Satellite Explosion Told
A new Soviet spy satellite exploded on July 28 when it went out of control in space, an industry magazine reported Friday.
Aviation Week and Space Technology said U.S. intelligence officials believe Soviet controllers deliberately sent a signal to blow apart the satellite when something went wrong as they were trying to direct it to a higher orbit.
The magazine said the satellite, which it identified as Cosmos 2,030, was launched July 12 and said it was an “advanced reconnaissance satellite.”
It also reported that on July 18 the Soviets launched Cosmos 2,031, also a reconnaissance satellite.
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