Roscosmos takes additional precautions for safer launches from Baikonur
On June 14, two people died as a result of a steppe fire in the area where fragments of the Soyuz-2.1 rocket were to fall. The launch itself was successful.
"In order to prevent similar incidents, state corporation Roscosmos has introduced additional measures intended to minimize possible negative consequences from launches," the agency said.
The measures include an orbital survey of the rocket fragment drop zones by Russian spacecraft before and shortly after the launch, post-launch aerial monitoring of these areas and other precautions.
Yuri Khatyushin, the driver of a Kamaz truck operated by Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia rocket-and-space enterprise, which oversees maintenance of the drop zones, died on June 14 while extinguishing a fire in the Kazakh steppe. The blaze erupted at the drop zone of the stages of the Russian Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket and engulfed his Kamaz vehicle after a particularly strong gust of wind.
Another worker, involved in the removal of fallen Soyuz fragments, suffered serious burns. The man, identified as Vyacheslav Tyts, succumbed to his injuries on June 30.
Source: TASS .