Astra 2E launch may be delayed (Proton M Launch Failure: Merged)

[Analoguesat]

Id say we are looking at a minimum of a 3-4 month delay with 2E - possibly more if the area is contaminated with toxic fuel residues.

 

[Analoguesat]

Thereres some good technical analysis of the eventy here

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31191.75


If you look at the photos about 4 posts down (reply 86 by Satori), its clear one motor isnt at full throttle as its veering left

 

[denis1501]

From SES : The launch of Astra 2E will be delayed a few months after an ultra spectacular launch failure at Baikonur yesterday. The flight before Astra 2E was supposed to take 3 Glosnass GPS satellites into orbit, but the rocket was in trouble a few seconds after lift off, and was actually upside down before aerodynamic stresses exceeded the flight rating and it broke up!

 

[Analoguesat]

From SES : The launch of Astra 2E will be delayed a few months after an ultra spectacular launch failure at Baikonur yesterday. The flight before Astra 2E was supposed to take 3 Glosnass GPS satellites into orbit, but the rocket was in trouble a few seconds after lift off, and was actually upside down before aerodynamic stresses exceeded the flight rating and it broke up!

I posted that on our forum FB page about half an hour ago!

 

[Lazarus]

Well we luddites (If Social(?) Media refuseniks can so be described!) are grateful to see it here, too

 

[denis1501]

Sorry m8, didn't spot that!
Actually, I did. But I thought I was on SES's page! lol!
Have to lay off the vino with lunch me thinks!

I posted that on our forum FB page about half an hour ago!

 

[timo_w2s]

How may is it that have failed now?

List of previous failures since 1990:

8/9/1990 Proton-K/DM-2 345-02 TB 200/39 Ekran-M 3rd stg 349sec (foreign object ox feed) FTO
5/27/1993 Proton-K/DM-2 364-02 TB 81/23 Gorizont 2nd & 3rd stg engine fail (contaminants) FTO
2/19/1996 Proton-K/DM-2 383-02 TB 200/39 Raduga Blok DM-2 2nd burn fail (unknown) (EEO)
11/16/1996 Proton-K/D-2 392-02 TB 200/39 Mars-96 Blok D-2 2nd burn fail (S/C control sys) (LEO)
12/24/1997 Proton-K/DM-2M 394-01 TB 81/23 Asiasat 3 Blok DM-2M fail (turbopump seal coating) (GTO)
7/5/1999 Proton-K/Briz-M 389-01 TB 81/24 Raduga 2nd stg eng 277sec (turbopump, particles) FTO
10/27/1999 Proton-K/DM-2 386-02 TB 200/39 Ekspress A No. 1 2nd stg eng 222sec (turbopump, particles) FTO
11/25/2002 Proton-K/DM-2M 408-02 TB 81/23 Astra 1K Blok DM-2M 2nd burn (blked gas gen valve) (LEO)
02/28/2006 Proton M/Briz M 535-11 TB 200/39 Arabsat 4A Briz M 2nd of 4 burns (foreign paticles) (EEO)
09/05/2007 Proton M/Briz M 535-22 TB 200/39 JCSAT 11 (4t) Cable fault, pyro fail during 1/2 staging FTO
03/14/2008 Proton M/Briz M 535-25 TB 200/39 AMC 14 (4.14t) Briz M fail during 2nd of 3 planned burns (LEO)
12/05/2010 Proton M/DM-03 535-37 TB 81/24 3xGlonass M Prop overload of 1st DM-03. 100m/s <LEO FTO
08/17/2011 Proton M/Briz M 935-21 TB 200/39 Express AM4 Lost>4 of 5 Briz M burns. Guidance program [EEO]
08/06/2012 Proton M/Briz M P379 TB 81/24 Telkom 3/ExpressMD2 3rd of 4 planned Briz M burns failed, leak.[EEO]
12/08/2012 Proton M/Briz M P383 TB 200/39 Yamal 402 Turbopump fail during 4th of 4 Briz M burns[EEO]</pre>
<p>Taken from http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/profail.txt (see full list here).

 

[BLUEPLATINUM]

Bl**dy hell. Are we ever going to get our pan-European beams back and our Sky channels with them.

 

[Analoguesat]

More dramatic footage of the botched Proton launch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zl12dXYcUTo

The rocket actually passes completely inverted before it breaks up!

 

[Lazarus]

"This Video Is Currently Unavailable" ..............................


Hmm. That was in Chromium.

Ok in Firefox.


I think I've caught a few of your Gremlins, Ross!

 

[Analoguesat]

Um itys working ok here. Try the direct link, which I'll have to mangle to stop it parsing

hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zl12dXYcUTo

 

[Lazarus]

Um itys working ok here. Try the direct link, which I'll have to mangle to stop it parsing

hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zl12dXYcUTo

Known issue with Chrome/Chromium, apparently.

I'm working on it.

 

[Analoguesat]

Official Roscosmos statement from their FB feed:


<span>One day has passed since the dramatic Proton-M launch failure that occurred shortly after the launch vehicle had blasted off from its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday. Russian news outlets have published a number of stories since then providing different scenarios of possible causes, mostly citing aerospace experts or unnamed sources within the space industry.

Official comments on<span> the cause of the failure will be available when data analysis and the initial investigation is complete, which will likely take some time. Telemetry received from the vehicle along with video of the launch is being analyzed by engineers in order to understand what happened to the rocket.

An official failure investigation committee has been formed on Tuesday to review the probable cause of the failure and recommend corrective measures. It will take several weeks until the committee provides its report.

An unofficial report based on initial telemetry analysis indicated that the Proton had lifted off 0.4 seconds ahead of schedule with a launch time of 2:38:21.585 UTC. The planned T-0 time was 2:38:22 UTC.

If the liftoff command came early for whatever reason, there is a chance that the six RD-276 engines of the first stage had not reached their nominal liftoff conditions when the ill-fated flight began. The report also says that telemetry coming from the vehicle showed temperatures of 1,200°C in the vicinity of one of the six engines – three times higher than normal. The high-trending engine compartment temperature can be an indication of a fire or the presence of a breach in a combustion chamber allowing hot gases to enter the engine compartment of the vehicle.

Reportedly, the emergency shutdown command to that engine was issued at T+4 seconds. Video of the rocket, however, shows all six engines firing until about T+26 seconds. It is not clear if the emergency shutdown command was suppressed by the onboard computer that is programmed not to shut the engines down for the first 42 seconds of the flight to ensure the vehicle does not crash onto the launch pad facilities.
A new video that was taken from a close distance to the launch site shows the troubled Proton launch in great detail. It clearly shows that the launch vehicle is experiencing problems as soon as lifting off.

The video shows wild movement of the exhaust plume of the engines as they were vectored by the Proton’s control system to maintain a stable flight position. What causes the initial upset that the control system tries to correct is not visible in the video. One engine being stuck in a hard-over position would force the thrust vector control system of the Proton to position the remaining engines to counteract that engine. In video of the launch, Proton is seen trying to use its thrust vector control system to correct its flight position back to vertical at T+4 seconds, but the vehicle over-corrects and becomes unstable. </span></span>

 

[Analoguesat]

<span><span>A new video that was taken from a close distance to the launch site shows the troubled Proton launch in great detail. It clearly shows that the launch vehicle is experiencing problems as soon as lifting off.

The video shows wild movement of the exhaust plume of the engines as they were vectored by the Proton’s control system to maintain a stable flight position. What causes the initial upset that the control system tries to correct is not visible in the video. One engine being stuck in a hard-over position would force the thrust vector control system of the Proton to position the remaining engines to counteract that engine. In video of the launch, Proton is seen trying to use its thrust vector control system to correct its flight position back to vertical at T+4 seconds, but the vehicle over-corrects and becomes unstable. </span></span>

Now where this video hiding?

 

[Lazarus]

That's a smokescreen - for sure they put the tyres on the wrong way round.

 

[Analoguesat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z_EEv_CmOyA

 

[sonnetpete]

That's a smokescreen - for sure they put the tyres on the wrong way round.

Yep....definitely had severe understeer...

 

[skomedal]

Excellent news for us on the fringes that can lock 1N but not 2F :-beer

 

[M60]

What's the chances SES could get an Ariane launch? All the slots must be booked 12mths in advance so that's pretty much nill and a no-go. As SES are a well paid customer do they possibly have a chance of jumping the queue somewhere? I guess it would cost them dearly if that were the case?

 

[Analoguesat]

Its possible for Ariane payloads to be shifted around, - we saw a change of expected payload on a reasonably recent flight. The main problem is that the loads have to be balanced - if a bird got bounced it would need to be one of a similar size and weight. In any case the flight timeline would need to be completely rewritten for a change of passenger.

There would be big wodges of compensation to be prayed to the unlucky customer too.....