spacetoday.net: Software glitch likely cause of Phobos-Grunt failure

Posted: Fri, Jan 20, 2012, 6:29 AM ET (1129 GMT)
Phobos-Grunt illustration (Roscosmos)

Despite Russian claims that a US military radar may have crippled its Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, an investigation into the loss of the Mars-bound spacecraft now suggests that a software error may be to blame. Phobos-Grunt was stranded in a parking orbit around the Earth after its launch in November when an unknown problem prevents its engine from firing. The spacecraft's orbit slowly decayed, and the spacecraft reentered on Sunday. Russian sources said a software error likely prevented the engine from firing, which was compounded by "ensuing steps by ground services" that caused the spacecraft's batteries to discharge. However, Russian officials have publicly suggested that the spacecraft was damaged when it passed through a beam of a US radar in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. US officials have denied those claims.