Launch News (FAILURE) Progress M-12M, Soyuz-U, August 24, 2011

[Cosmic Penguin]

Sorry, but I don't have the detailed flight plan/cargo manifest with me, so if Siberian Tiger or other members can help, please do!

Oh and for a good flight today!

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Live TV of Progress M-12M Launch


:: 24.08.2011

Live TV of the Soyuz-U/Progress M-11M launch from Baikonur slated for 17.00 MSK today is available in Roscosmos web:

http://www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=361

Roscosmos PAO

---------- Post added at 21:03 ---------- Previous post was at 20:54 ----------

Launched on-time. Saw the beautiful "Korolev's cross" in broad daylight!

 

[SiberianTiger]

DAMN, WHAT !!!!???? :blink:

http://gazeta.ru/news/lastnews/2011/08/24/n_1980401.shtml

— 24.08.2011 17:35 —
Грузовой корабль «Прогресс», стартовавший к МКС, не удалось вывести на штатную орбиту

Грузовой космический корабль «Прогресс М-12М», запущенный в среду с космодрома «Байконур», не удалось вывести на целевую орбиту, сообщили «Интерфаксу-АВН» в космической отрасли.

«На заключительном этапе выведения грузового космического корабля «Прогресс» на орбиту произошла нештатная ситуация. В настоящее время специалисты выясняют причины происшествия», - сказал источник.

Грузовой корабль «Прогресс-М-12М» должен был доставить на Международную космическую станцию более 3,5 тонн различных грузов.
Стыковка «Прогресса» была запланирована на 26 августа.

Это уже второй за август случай неудачного запуска космического аппарата в России.

Progress M-12M did not reach the intended orbit, said a source in space industry.

On the final stage of launching an abnormal situation occurred. Specialists are working on determination of the problem's cause.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Oh dear. Have we displeased the probe!? News are coming in that there's a problem with the launch! If confirmed, it would the first time in 135 Progress launches that a Progress cannot complete its mission.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

So, we get rid of Shuttle, and then the first Progress of the post-Shuttle era fails. Not the best start.

 

[indonesianorbinaut]

what about the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station?

 

[SiberianTiger]

what about the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station?

Nothing especially bad is to happen with them.

Let's wait for more info to come. It's not clear how much abnormal the abnormality is, at this point.

 

[Scruce]

Progress M-12M did not reach the intended orbit.

Could this mean there is still a chance of saving the Progress? Did it still reach orbit?

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Could this mean there is still a chance of saving the Progress? Did it still reach orbit?

Initial news reported that it did reached the intended orbit, but it failed to separate from the third stage of the Soyuz rocket.

If only we have a STS-136... :facepalm:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Could this mean there is still a chance of saving the Progress? Did it still reach orbit?

Some sources say that the problem occurred at T+340 s. That is way before MECO.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Official. It is toasted.

http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=17765

:: 24.08.2011

24 августа при запуске ракеты-носителя «Союз-У» с транспортным грузовым кораблем «Прогресс М-12М» в ходе работы третьей ступени на 325 секунде полета РН, по предварительным данным, произошло нарушение работы двигательной установки, приведшее к ее аварийному отключению.
Транспортный грузовой корабль «Прогресс М-12М» не выведен на заданную орбиту.

On August 24th, during launch of Soyuz-U with cargo spaceship Progress M-12M an engine problem occurred during operation of the rocket's third stage at 325th second of flight. It lead to aborting the engine's operation.

The cargo spaceship Progress M-12M was not put to intended orbit.

For reference:

 

[iamwearingpants]

Well this sucks.

Are they going to be doing a backup mission?

 

[SiberianTiger]

All I have to say is that 20 years of humiliation and vandalizing of Soviet space industry begin to pay out. It is now just right that everything crumbles gradually faster: a third world country does not need a spaceflight. It shows off its glory in pompous parades in its capital and with luxury yachts of its high official fat cats.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The ISS is now short of:

• 257 kg of food rations
• 420 kg of fresh water
• 50 kg of oxygen
• 250 kg of Russian segment fuel
• 367 kg of USOS supplies (including crew's meals and sanitary means)
• Lots of scientific stuff
• Lots of technical stuff
• 37 kg of personal deliveries

 

[SiberianTiger]

At present moment, the upcoming Progress launches are planned for:

P45 - Progress М-13М (№413) - October 28, 2011 @ 10:59:08 UTC
P46 - Progress М-14М (№414) - January 26, 2012 @ 02:11:57 UTC

Of course, no backup ship is immediately available, 'cuz we are so reliable.

 

[Wishbone]

Welcome to the SNAFU land... :facepalm:

 

[indonesianorbinaut]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp28/110824prog44p/

 

[SiberianTiger]

The debris are reported to hit ground in Choysky District of Altai Republic, Russia, which is somewhere around 86.5E, 60N.

upd: Head of Choysky district said in his interview that explosion from the falling rocket was much louder than usual, it shuddered glasses in windows at 100 km away from the site.

Shortly before telemetry outage from the rocket, sudden drop in tank pressure was registered.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

To illustrate the seriousness of this launch failure, here are some facts:

1. This is the first time in 135 (!) Progress missions (since 1978) that a Progress ship failed to complete its mission.
2. This is the first time that an International Space Station mission has failed (in 116 missions)
3. The last failure of the R-7 family of rockets was on June 21st, 2005, when a Molniya-M rocket exploded at T+298s, just before 2nd/3rd stage separation. The cause was determined to be the destruction of the 2nd stage engine due to excessive fuel consumption. It was a black day for Russian space exploration: on the same day the Cosmos-1 solar sail, built by the Planetary Society, failed to reach orbit when the Volna rocket (a converted SS-N-18 "Stingray" submarine-launched missile) failed at T+58 s.
4. The last time an Soyuz-U rocket failed was on October 15th, 2002, which killed one person on the ground:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl9u-h_btBo"]Russian Rocket Launch Failure - Scary Rocket Explosion![/ame]

 

[IronRain]

Thank God it wasn't a manned flight.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Thank God it wasn't a manned flight.

If it were a manned flight, it might have likely followed Soyuz 18-1 scenario.