Russian space experts regain control of 1st Angola satellite

Russia's space experts say they have managed to regain control of Angola's first satellite launched earlier this week.

The Russian-built satellite successfully entered a designated orbit after Tuesday's launch from the Baikonur pad in Kazakhstan, but experts couldn't immediately establish contact.

The state-run Energia company that built the AngoSat 1 satellite said Friday its engineers have finally established communications with the craft and received data indicating that all its systems are operating properly.

The glitch with the Angolan satellite followed a failed launch in November, drawing attention to the Russian space industry's problems.

Asked about the failures, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that they warrant a thorough analysis of the situation.

AP