26 of 29 channels of stranded Geo-IK-2 satellite working

MOSCOW, March 1 (Itar-Tass) -- The bulk of channels of the
ill-fortuned Geo-IK-2 defence satellite, which failed to reach its
intended orbit, are functioning normally, Russia Deputy Prime Minister
Sergei Ivanov said on Monday.
In his words, he saw no problems with the satellite. "As many as 26
out of the satellite's 20 channels are working," he told journalists.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had been forced to
abandon the satellite after it was stranded in a useless orbit by a
botched launch in early February. "The satellite is lost to the Defence
Ministry, it will not be put to its intended use," First Deputy Defence
Minister Vladimir Popovkin told journalists on February 24. He did not
rule out however that the satellite could be used to check support
systems. In his words, among possible causes of the abortive launch are a
failure of the booster orientation system and a malfunction of the
propulsion system.
A similar version was made public by the Russian Space Agency on
February 21. The Geo-IK-2 satellite, designed to create a detailed
three-dimensional map of the Earth and help the Russian military to locate
the precise positions of various targets, was launched on February 1 on
board a Rockot carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space centre in northern
Russia. Since then, Rockot launches have been suspended. Military
prosecutor's office is probing into the case.