Proton launch fails
Posted: Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 10:14 PM ET (0314 GMT)
The launch of a commercial communications satellite on a Proton failed Tuesday night when the rocket's upper stage shut down prematurely. The Proton M rocket, carrying the Arabsat 4A spacecraft, lifted off on schedule at 3:10 pm EST Tuesday (2010 GMT Tuesday, 2:10 am Wednesday local time). The lower stages of the Proton had placed the spacecraft and the Breeze M upper stage into a low parking orbit. The Breeze M was scheduled to fire four times to place Arabsat 4A into geosynchronous transfer orbit, but according to a statement by International Launch Services (ILS), the Breeze M "shut down early during its planned burn sequence." While ILS did not comment on the status of the satellite, it is likely in a useless low orbit. The cause of the failure is not known, and a Russian state commission is being formed to investigate the failure, according to ILS.
The launch of a commercial communications satellite on a Proton failed Tuesday night when the rocket's upper stage shut down prematurely. The Proton M rocket, carrying the Arabsat 4A spacecraft, lifted off on schedule at 3:10 pm EST Tuesday (2010 GMT Tuesday, 2:10 am Wednesday local time). The lower stages of the Proton had placed the spacecraft and the Breeze M upper stage into a low parking orbit. The Breeze M was scheduled to fire four times to place Arabsat 4A into geosynchronous transfer orbit, but according to a statement by International Launch Services (ILS), the Breeze M "shut down early during its planned burn sequence." While ILS did not comment on the status of the satellite, it is likely in a useless low orbit. The cause of the failure is not known, and a Russian state commission is being formed to investigate the failure, according to ILS.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, June 7
EUSPA launches new EU Space Market Report
EUSPA — 8:20 am ET (1220 GMT) RIDE! Secures One Ton of capacity on SEOPS Waymaker Rideshare Program with Inaugural Mission in 2028
Ride — 8:17 am ET (1217 GMT) JAL Group Launches “ARGO PROJECT,” the World’s First Lunar Transport Service by an Airline
ispace — 8:17 am ET (1217 GMT) Astrotech to Pursue Strategic Lunar Industrial Platform Targeting Resource Extraction, Autonomous Infrastructure, and Future Moon-Based Semiconductor and Quantum Computing Applications
Astrotech — 8:13 am ET (1213 GMT) IHI constellation plan gathers pace with initial data acquisition
IHI Aerospace — 8:10 am ET (1210 GMT) |
