Russian Rocket Tests In Pacific

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30129, 13 May 1963, Page 15

Russian Rocket Tests In Pacific

(N.ZP.A .-Reuter—Copyright) MOSCOW, May 11. Russia will carry out a new two-month series of rocket tests over the Pacific from May 15, the official Soviet news agency Tass announced today. The agency said improved carrier rockets designed for space research would be tested. The agency said experimental launchings of these rockets without their final stages would be carried out over the equatorial regions of the Pacific from May 15 to July 15.

The launchings would be carried out "with the aim of further study of outer space.” Measurements in the landing area of the rockets would be carried out by special ships of the Soviet fleet.

For safety reasons the Soviet Government is asking other countries to ensure that ships and aircraft keep away from the two Pacific target areas while the tests are on. Tass said. These areas are:— (1) A sea area between the . Haiwaiian and Samoan islands, just west of the Auckland-Honolulu sea routes. (2) An area north-east of the Midway Islands in the Hawaiian group and south

of the Yokohama-San Francisco sea route. The previous series of Soviet rocket tests in the Pacific took place last October. The Soviet Union then successfully tested new type multi-stage rockets for outer space probes over a distance of about 7500 miles in the central Pacific. Last October's tests took place almost exactly a year after the previously announced series also held in the central Pacific.