MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the Meridian military satellite from the Plesetsk spaceport has been postponed until February 14, a source in the space rocket industry told TASS on Friday.

Earlier reports said that the Soyuz carrier rocket was scheduled to deliver the Meridian satellite to the orbit on January 24, but the launch was postponed before the rocket was fuelled. "A short circuit was reported in one of the cables in onboard grid of the carrier rocket's third stage," the source explained. The source added that the upper stage was separated from the carrier rocket in order to resolve the issue.

"As of today, the new date of February 14 is being considered for scheduling the launch," the source said. 

"Works continue to fix the reason behind the malfunction. However, specialists have still not been able to localize the issue," the source said adding that repair works may take from 10 days to two months. If the issue is not resolved by mid-February, "the carrier rocket will be taken apart, and the new cycle of preparations will start," the source noted.