JULY 2 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — An unmanned Russian rocket crashed on take-off at the Baikonur launch site, south Kazakhstan. The rocket smashed into the empty steppe sending an orange cloud of toxic fumes into the air. Rain later dispersed the clouds but the crash raised concerns both about the safety and future of the Baikonur programme and about potential damage to the local environment.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 142, published on July 8 2013)