Proton rocket fails - 2 commsats lost

[DocM]

Sounds like their Briz-M upper stage issues weren't fully fixed :(

http://www.aviationweek.com/awmobile/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_08_07_2012_p0-483772.xml

Botched Russian Launch Junks Two Telecom Satellites

August 07, 2012

A botched Russian launch junked two multi-million dollar satellites on Tuesday that were to provide Indonesia and Russia with telecom services, adding to a series of failures that have dogged the once-pioneering space industry.

Russia?s space agency said the failure of the upper stage of the launch atop its workhorse Proton rocket led to the loss of Indonesia?s Telekom-3 and Russia?s Express MD2 satellites.

The error after takeoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan late on Monday replicates a mishap that scrapped the $265-million Express AM-4 satellite last summer, casting doubt on the reliability of the Russian rocket.

The space agency, Roskosmos, said in a statement that the Briz-M booster had fired its engines on schedule, but they had burned for only seven of the programmed 18 minutes and 5 seconds needed to push the satellites into their planned orbit.

?The chances that the satellites will separate from the booster and reach the designated orbit are practically non-existent,? a space industry source told the state news agency RIA.

Launches of such Proton rockets will most likely be suspended pending expert analysis of the failure, the Russian industry source said.

Moscow, which carries out some 40 percent of global space launches, is struggling to restore confidence in its industry after a string of mishaps last year, including the failure of a mission to return samples from the Martian moon Phobos.

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[Jason S. Global Moderator]

wow. that's a real shame. so much wasted money!

[Tender Foot]

edit never mind

[DocM]

wow. that's a real shame. so much wasted money!

That's why launches are insured, but if this string of problems continues the rates may be very high or some companies could refuse to serve them. At that point they could self-insure, but that's unsustainable.

[neoadorable]

it's horrible but this doesn't change anything, launches must continue.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Back to the drawing board it seems.

[DocM]

Their designs are not the biggest problem, they are quality controll, inadequate software testing, and inexperienced people. The last is a particular problem as many of their best people have followed the money to better paying industries in Russia - or often overseas. A lot of their best peope moved to tech companies both here and in Europe.

[Growled Member]

Maybe it's time they just got out of the rocket business.