Wiring blamed for Proton failure
Posted: Wed, Oct 10, 2007, 6:08 AM ET (1008 GMT)
Russian investigators have identified faulty wiring as the cause of the launch failure of a Proton rocket last month, officials said Tuesday. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, said a "faulty control wire" prevented the second stage of the Proton from separating properly from the first stage, causing the vehicle to plummet to Earth, crashing 40 kilometers from the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan. Perminov said engineers have developed a way to prevent the problem from occurring in future launches. Russia plans to use a Proton to launch three GLONASS navigation satellites in late October, depending on the ability of Russia to work out compensation to Kazakhstan for the failure; the Kazakh government is asking for $60 million in reparations for the accident. It is not certain when the Proton will resume commercial missions. The September 6 failure destroyed a US-built Japanese communications satellite, JCSAT-11.
Russian investigators have identified faulty wiring as the cause of the launch failure of a Proton rocket last month, officials said Tuesday. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, said a "faulty control wire" prevented the second stage of the Proton from separating properly from the first stage, causing the vehicle to plummet to Earth, crashing 40 kilometers from the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan. Perminov said engineers have developed a way to prevent the problem from occurring in future launches. Russia plans to use a Proton to launch three GLONASS navigation satellites in late October, depending on the ability of Russia to work out compensation to Kazakhstan for the failure; the Kazakh government is asking for $60 million in reparations for the accident. It is not certain when the Proton will resume commercial missions. The September 6 failure destroyed a US-built Japanese communications satellite, JCSAT-11.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, May 29
Firefly Aerospace Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock
Firefly Aerospace — 3:56 am ET (0756 GMT) Boots on the moon: Report urges Space Force deployment to counter China
Washington Times — 3:53 am ET (0753 GMT) Draft NDAA would dissolve Space Development Agency, Rapid Capabilities Office
Defensescoop — 3:53 am ET (0753 GMT) SDA Being Absorbed Into Space Force’s New PAE Plan
Aviation Week — 3:52 am ET (0752 GMT) Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on launch pad in Florida
CBS — 3:51 am ET (0751 GMT) |
