Second activist detained while protesting rocket launches in Astana

    Police in Astana, have detained a second activist for protesting the launch of Russian Proton space rockets from Kazakh soil.
    Askhat Rakhymzhanov staged his protest in front of the Kazakh Space Agency on January 14, a day after another activist, Maqsat Iliasuly, was fined $240 for a similar protest.
    In July, a Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three satellites worth some $200 million exploded shortly after takeoff from the Baikonur Space Center in central Kazakhstan.
    The burning rocket fuel created a toxic cloud, angering Kazakh authorities who say such failures damage the environment and pose a health threat.
    In November, Astana officially requested $89.5 million in financial compensation from Russia for the rocket crash.
    Proton rocket launches from Baikonur resumed in September.
    Ecology activists have protested against the resumption of the launches, RFE/RL wrote.