The Soyuz-2 rocket was left stranded for the second time at the Plesetsk space center in northwestern Russia, news reports said, delivering a new blow to Russia's cash-strapped space system.

The rocket, meant to deliver military and commercial satellites into orbit, was first due to be launched on October 29.

Entirely Russian-built, it was also due to be launched from French Guiana, but only for commercial use, Russian news reports said.

There was no immediate information on when it may be test-fired again.

The launch was initially due to be overseen by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Russian Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.