August 8, 2013- A summary of the findings on the root cause and corrective action plan following the failure of the July 2 Proton M/Block DM mission with three GLONASS navigational satellites for the Russian Federal Government, has been released to (ILS) upon being cleared by Russian security.
ILS Proton Launch Services utilizes the Proton Breeze M launch vehicle to launch and orbit commercial spacecraft.
The summary indicates that the most probable root cause of the failure was due to the improper installation of the three yaw angular rate sensors located on the Proton launch vehicle, which caused the vehicle to deviate from its flight path shortly after lift-off.
The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) will begin on August 9 and will provide an independent review of the investigation, probable root cause and corrective actions required prior to return to commercial flight, in accordance with U.S. and Russian government export control regulations. The FROB will tentatively conclude by August 16.
The FROB consists of ILS customers, industry subject experts, and insurance industry representatives. After the conclusion of the FROB, the FROB report will be briefed to ILS customers and the launch insurance industry.
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
ILS provides launch services for global satellite operators with a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton vehicle to commercial satellite operators worldwide and is a U.S. company headquartered in Reston, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. www.ilslaunch.com.
Khrunichev holds the majority interest in ILS, and is a cornerstone of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of over 388 missions since 1965. Khrunichev includes among its branches, a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation.