spacetoday.net: Three Russian officials fired over Proton crash

Posted: Sat, Aug 24, 2013, 8:53 AM ET (1253 GMT)
Proton M launch failure on 2013 July 2

Three executives with Russian rocket maker Khrunichev have been fired in the aftermath of last month's launch failure of a Proton rocket. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday that the deputy general director for quality control and management, head of final assembly, and chief of the technical control department had all been fired for "inappropriate fulfillment of duties." An investigation into the July 2 accident concluded that technicians improperly installed several sensors on the Proton, causing it to lose control and crash seconds after liftoff. A final report into the launch failure is scheduled for release in late September, and the Proton will return to flight in mid-September with the launch of a commercial communications satellite.