Failure to Launch: Three Russian Navigation Satellites Crash and Burn
3 Jul 2013GLONASS, the Russian version of our GPS used for navigation and GPS tracking, suffered a significant setback when the Proton-M rocket carrying three of their navigational systems crashed almost immediately after takeoff.
The rocket burst into flames on live television just moments after takeoff landing a sharp not only to Russian plans for GLONASS, but also to the honor and prestige of the commercial space industry that has been quite lucrative.
For some, this incident has a feeling of deja-vu as a similar incident occurred in December 2010 when another Proton-M meant to carry three satellites into orbit crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
Proton failure has been a persistent problem over the years and blamed for the 2010 incident, an August 2011 satellite failure, and another failed launch in August 2012. This crash resulted in the loss of two communication satellites.
The latest incident occurred at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, the debris from the crash combined with the 600 tons of toxic fuel has spurred concerns over contamination of the steppe surrounding the facility. Stores were order closed as was public eating establishments. Locals were asked to stay indoors with windows closed.
The crash happened 17 seconds into the flight, according to the Russian Space Agency and crashed in a giant fireball just over a mile from the launch pad.
The crash created a crater nearly 218 yards in size and sent plumes of toxic fuel into the air. Concerns over toxicity prompted Baikonur, a city located 50 miles from the crash site, administrators to urge residents to close windows and remain indoors.The costs of the satellites destroyed in the crash was around $200 million, but the costs to Russian GPS tracking efforts, long-term may be far greater. The GLONASS global tracker program was of particular interests to political leaders, including President Vladimir Putin who continues to take a special interest in the development and success of GLONASS.
President Putin saw a resurgence of financial prosperity in Russia during the 2000’s and decided to make GLONASS a top priority, perhaps to reestablish Russian dominance in the space race or perhaps because he saw the financial and strategic rewards a strong global positioning system represents for Russian interests.
The recent crash also seems to have put, at least, a temporary strain on the relationship between Kazakhstan and Russia especially in light of the many setbacks and failures the Russian space program has suffered in the recent years, including a failed attempt to send a probe to Mars’ moon.
Russian officials have spread blame for the recent failures far and wide. In light of this latest crash, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered punishment to be delivered to those responsible for the latest crash while applying diligent efforts to regaining control of the struggling space industry.
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