The launches of the Proton-M carrier rocket will be resumed within 3.5 months, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Saturday.

Rogozin's statement comes as the engines of the second and third stages of the Proton-M carrier rockets have been recalled earlier at the Voronezh Mechanical Plant because of technical problems.

"The launches of Proton-M will be resumed within 3.5 months. Voronezh Mechanical Plant will receive economic aid for technical re-equipment," Rogozin said on Twitter.

"All those guilty of technology and document substitution will be severely punished. Three Proton-M rockets will be dismantled. Engines of the second and third stages will be changed," the deputy prime minster added.

Progress MS-03 Cargo Spacecraft to Be Drowned on January 31 - Control Center
The Progress MS-03 cargo spacecraft, which has served out its time at the International Space Station (ISS), will be undocked and drowned in the Pacific Ocean on January 31, representative of the Russian Mission Control Center (MCC) told Sputnik on Friday.

"According to the calculations of the ballistic and navigation department of the Mission Control Centre, the physical separation of the spacecraft and the ISS is scheduled for 5:23 p.m. Moscow time [14:23 GMT]. The re-entry of the Progress is expected at 9:10 p.m. Moscow time. According to the calculations, the parts of the spacecraft that do not burn in the atmosphere will drown at approximately 10:24 p.m. in the designated innavigable area of the Pacific Ocean," the representative of the MCC said.

The Progress MS-03 cargo spacecraft has been part of the ISS since July 19, 2016. On December 1, the Progress MS-04 space freighter burned up in the atmosphere after a faulty launch on board a Soyuz-U carrier rocket.

The launch of the Progress MS-05 cargo spaceship is scheduled for February 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Source: Sputnik News