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Post Info TOPIC: Molnia-M Crash
Blobrana


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The commander of the Russian Space Troops Vladimir Popovkin has forbidden the launches of Soyuz rockets due to recent crash of Molnia unmanned rocket carrying a military satellite into orbit in Siberia.

The investigators believe that the crash was caused by the explosion in the rocket’s third stage at a height of 180 meters shortly after the launch. However, they stated publicly on Friday that it was engine failure that led to the comedown.

As third stages of Soyuz and Molnia-M rockets are identical, Popovkin ordered not to launch them until the producer takes appropriate steps to avoid such situations in future.

Nevertheless, on Saturday the heavy Proton K booster put a Russian Express AM 3 latest-generation telecommunication satellite into orbit.

The Express AM 3 is designed to provide such services as digital television and radio broadcasting, telephone and video communication, data transmission, access to the Internet and creation of VSAT-technology communication networks.

It is the fifth satellite of the Russian Express AM spacecraft series, developed by Krasnoyarsk-based Reshetnev scientific and production centre and the French Alcatel Space company.



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Blobrana


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Fragments of the Molniya-M carrier rocket that crashed on June 21 have been found in the Tyumen region (Siberia), according to the press service of the Russia Space Corps.

The rocket was supposed to carry a military communications satellite into orbit.

Most of the rocket and the satellite burned up as they entered the atmosphere.


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Blobrana


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For the second day, the search for the Molniya-M carrier rocket that crashed in the Tyumen region Tuesday did not bring any results.
A helicopter and a plane that had been conducting the search for the rocket since early morning returned to the base for refuelling. A meeting to coordinate the next step has been scheduled.


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The rocket could have crashed in a swamp and sunk.

"It is a large area. There are many deep swamps. I think we might need special equipment," - Mikhail Kozhevnikov, deputy head of the Uvatsky district.

The Molniya-M medium-class carrier rocket carrying a military satellite took off from the Plesetsk Space Centre at 4:49 Tuesday morning. It had shown signs of a malfunction 298 seconds into the flight. The rocket crashed at about 5:00 a.m. (Moscow time) in the Uvatsky district of the Tyumen region, near the Tobolsk testing grounds.

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Blobrana


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Officials say they believe no one on the ground was hurt when the Molniya-M rocket came down in a thinly-populated region of Siberia.
Helicopters were used to search for wreckage from the rocket.
According to the Space Forces, there are no reports of damages on the ground and the environmental impact will be "minimal" since the main fuel components are kerosene and liquid oxygen.
"Either the third-stage engine failed, or the control system did not respond to a command to separate" - Anatoly Perminov, Russian Space Agency chief.


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Blobrana


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A Russian Molnia-M rocket carrying a military communications satellite crashed today shortly after takeoff.
The rocket, launched at 0049 GMT from the northern Plessetsk space centre, suffered engine failure and fell onto a forest in the Tyumen region of Siberia.

The rocket's liftoff was normal, but after 6 minutes into the rocket's flight, the third-stage engine exploded under abnormal conditions.

The rocket was to have placed satellite Molnia-3K into orbit an hour after launch.

The four-stage medium-range launcher, Molnia-M, which has a lift-off weight of 305 metric tons, is believed to be one of the most reliable in the world and is used for launching spacecraft of up to two metric tons into high-elliptical orbits.

Missiles of this type have been launched into orbit from the Plesetsk launching site since 1970.


-- Edited by Blobrana at 10:53, 2005-06-21

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