Article Posted on : - Feb 25, 2011

A file photo.

MOSCOW (BNS): A Russian military satellite which went missing earlier this month after being put into wrong orbit will not be used for defence purposes, the country’s defence ministry has said.

“The satellite is lost for the defense ministry,” First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti news agency.

“It will not be used for military purposes, but could still be used for checking control systems,” the Minister said.

The Geo-IK-2 satellite was launched by the Rokot launcher from Russia's Plesetsk spaceport on February 1.

The dual-use satellite was designed to help the military survey land and create a detailed three-dimensional map of the Earth for locating precise positions of various targets.

The satellite was to spin in a circular orbit 1,000 kilometres above the Earth.

Popovkin said that the panel which was investing into the incident was yet to submit its report, but preliminary information indicated the control system was to blame.