Posted: Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 8:52 PM ET (0052 GMT)
Contamination in an engine turbopump is the root cause of the failure of Zenit-3SL rocket that collapsed and exploded on its floating launch pad in late January, Russian officials said Tuesday. An investigation by Russian and Ukrainian officials concluded that a metal particle got into a turbopump in the first stage engine of the Zenit-3SL, causing the engine to fail immediately upon liftoff. The rocket collapsed back onto its floating launch pad, the Odyssey Launch Platform, creating a spectacular explosion but causing only minor damage to the platform. No other information about the cause of the failure, or the steps being taking to remedy the problem, were reported by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Executives with Sea Launch, the multinational company that operates the Zenit-3SL for commercial customers, said last month that they hope to resume operations later this year, with two launches by the end of the year.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article