The launch of Russia's new series Soyuz MS-02 manned spacecraft scheduled for September 23 was delayed due to a technical fault involving a short circuit that was revealed during a test, a space industry source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

The September 23 launch was due to take two Russian cosmonauts and one US astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) for the next Expedition 49 mission. "Preliminary data revealed that a short circuit occurred while testing the new series Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft, docked to a carrier rocket, at Baikonur. The date of the new launch will be announced later, but the launch is unlikely to take place before the beginning of October, 2016," the source said. The Expedition 48 was taken to the ISS on board the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft. The Soyuz-MS series is the latest upgrade of the long-serving Soyuz spacecraft with improved communication and navigation systems.

Source: Sputnik News