Russian rocket carrying $200m satellites crashes - video

ABOUT $200 million of satellite technology was destroyed in seconds this morning after a Russian Proton-M rocket crashed shortly after blasting-off in Kazakhstan.

The rocket was unmanned and no-one on the ground was reported injured after the rocket began twisting, then flying horizontally before breaking up and exploding in a fireball as it struck the ground. The three navigation satellites onboard were valued at about $200 million, The Guardian reports.

Russian news agencies said Kazakh emergency authorities were considering evacuating nearby towns because of the potential threat from toxic rocket fuel burning at the crash site.

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The Guardian points out that Russia is ramping up its spending on space projects, but its efforts have been "plagued" in recent years by a series of setbacks. They include botched satellite launches and a failed attempt to send a probe to a moon of Mars.