Russia yesterday delayed its next manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by at least a month after an unmanned cargo vessel crashed into Siberia instead of reaching orbit.

The head of Russia’s manned spaceflight programme also warned that a significantly longer delay would force the six people on board the station to abandon the orbiter due to problems of fatigue and supplies. “We expect that the next manned launch will take place in late October or early November – not earlier. That is our plan,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s manned spaceflight programme director Alexei Krasnov as saying. The launch had initially been scheduled for September 22.

Mr Krasnov said the return to Earth of the first three of six crew members on board the ISS has also been pushed back from September 8 until September 16.

“If for some reason we fail to send up the next crew by the end of November, we will have to study all the available options, including one of leaving the station unmanned,” Russian news agencies quoted Mr Krasnov as saying.

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