Proton launch fails
Posted: Thu, Sep 6, 2007, 8:39 AM ET (1239 GMT)
A Proton rocket carrying a Japanese communications satellite failed to reach orbit early Thursday because of an anomaly with the vehicle's second stage. The Proton-M, carrying the JCSAT-11 spacecraft, lifted off on schedule at 6:43 pm EDT Wednesday (2243 GMT Wednesday, 4:43 am Thursday local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. While the launch initially proceeded as planned, the Proton's second-stage engines apparently failed to ignite, causing the upper stages of the rocket to crash on Kazakh territory downrange from the launch site. Few other details about the accident have been released; International Launch Services, which markets the Proton for commercial customers, said in a statement that a Russian State Commission has been convened to investigate the accident. The Proton's payload, JCSAT-11, was a 4,000-kilogram communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin for Japanese satellite operator JSAT, and was to be a backup to the company's existing fleet of spacecraft. The failure is the second in approximately 18 months for the Proton: a commercial Proton launch in March 2006 failed because of a problem with the vehicle's Breeze-M upper stage.
A Proton rocket carrying a Japanese communications satellite failed to reach orbit early Thursday because of an anomaly with the vehicle's second stage. The Proton-M, carrying the JCSAT-11 spacecraft, lifted off on schedule at 6:43 pm EDT Wednesday (2243 GMT Wednesday, 4:43 am Thursday local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. While the launch initially proceeded as planned, the Proton's second-stage engines apparently failed to ignite, causing the upper stages of the rocket to crash on Kazakh territory downrange from the launch site. Few other details about the accident have been released; International Launch Services, which markets the Proton for commercial customers, said in a statement that a Russian State Commission has been convened to investigate the accident. The Proton's payload, JCSAT-11, was a 4,000-kilogram communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin for Japanese satellite operator JSAT, and was to be a backup to the company's existing fleet of spacecraft. The failure is the second in approximately 18 months for the Proton: a commercial Proton launch in March 2006 failed because of a problem with the vehicle's Breeze-M upper stage.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
NASA IG cites overconfidence and unrealistic schedules for Starliner woes
Posted: Sat, Jul 4 8:11 PM ET (0011 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, July 17
Serbia joins NASA's space exploration partnership Artemis Accords
SeeNews — 5:11 am ET (0911 GMT) The Italian Space Agency announces the passing of President Teodoro Valente
ASI — 5:09 am ET (0909 GMT) Deep space pioneer Henon signs to launch with Plato
ESA — 5:08 am ET (0908 GMT) Taiwan lawmakers to remove legal hurdles for Starlink to operate
The Standard (Hong Kong) — 5:06 am ET (0906 GMT) UK to field offensive space squadrons in national first
UK Defence Journal — 5:05 am ET (0905 GMT) |
