Launch News Proton-M/Breeze-M with «Express-AM4» satellite on Aug. 18, 2011

[Notebook]

Уважаемые господа!

Пуск РКН Протон-M - Бриз-М с КА «Express-AM4» планируется провести с космодрома Байконур 17.08.2011 в 21 час. 25 мин. 01 сек. UTC (18.08.2011 01 час. 25 мин. 01 сек. московского времени).
Начало трансляции за 30 минут до старта.
Трансляция в реальном масштабе времени будет проходить по адресу:
http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=201

Без пароля.

Владельцы портативных устройств PDA могут следить в тестовом режиме за пуском на
http://www.space-center.ru - новая версия.

Наилучшие пожелания,
[email protected]. </SPAN>


Dear Sirs!

The Proton-M - Breeze-M launch vehicle with the «Express-AM4» satellite on board is scheduled to be launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 17.08.2011 at 21 h 25 m 01 s UTC (18.08.2011 01 h 25 m 01 s Moscow Local Time).
Real time broadcast of the launch will be available from 30 minutes before start on the Khrunichev Space Center web site:
http://coopi.khrunichev.ru/main.php?id=201

Without password.

Owners of PDA can watch the launch in test mode on
http://www.space-center.ru - new vertion.

Best regards,
[email protected]

 

[orb]

Here's calendar event for the launch.


You can watch the launch live on video streams from:

• TV Tsenki
• Khrunichev (indirect link was already posted, but with "mhtml:{}" url)

 

[orb]

Proton-M launched as scheduled.

Separation of the spacecraft from the Breeze-M stage is scheduled at 06:38 UTC / 10:38 MSD / 2:38 a.m. EDT, on August 18, 2011.


NASASpaceflight: Proton-M launches with Russia’s Ekspress-AM4 communications satellite

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

FAILURE!?

Uh oh, this is not looking good for Russia's most powerful communication satellite for now: apparently ground controllers have lost contact with the satellite and the Breeze-M stage at ~0400 UTC, when the stage/satellite should be cruising towards the apogee for the fifth and final burn of the Breeze-M and separation. That would be the second failure of the Breeze upper stage family this year.

(in Russian) RIA Novosti news link
(in Russian) Discussion Thread for the launch on Novosti-Kosmonavtiki magazine forum

 

[IronRain]

NASASpaceflight: FAILURE: Russia’s Ekspress-AM4 is lost as Proton-M Briz-M fails

A Proton-M rocket, with the fiftieth Briz-M upper stage, launched Russia’s Ekspress-AM4 communications satellite, after an early morning liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. However, having launched at 03:25 Thursday local time (21:25 UTC on Wednesday) - and the Proton-M completing its mission successfully – the Briz-M failed to deploy Ekspress-AM4 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit after it was reported to have lost all power at the time during – or shortly after – the fourth burn.

Video of the launch

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0-EsEFETe8"][Proton] Launch of Ekspress-AM4 Satellite on Proton Breeze M - YouTube[/ame]

 

[N_Molson]

Yeah, maybe they should revert to the Block-DMs until they really understand what is wrong with those BreezeMs... That's a shame to waste such an heavy payload. :facepalm:

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Missing satellite found off designated orbit

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

RIA Novosti: Missing satellite found off designated orbit

To expand on that, NORAD has found three objects on orbit related to this launch. The one object found soon after launch is now cataloged as 2011-045C/37800, which is the external fuel tank of the Breeze-M. It is found in a 146.0 x 11303.9 km x 49.47° orbit, which seems to be not quite right for a Breeze-M drop tank disposal orbit (the perigee is WAY too low).
The satellite and the Breeze-M were finally found after 36 hours of searching. Express-AM4 (2011-045A/37398) is in a 1004.5 x 20314.9 km x 51.33° orbit, while the Breeze-M is in a 697.2 x 20239.3 km x 51.18° orbit. Since the nominal transfer orbit after the fourth burn should be 420 x 35,616 km x 49.1 deg, the orbit information from the three objects suggest that the problems with this flight might be happening earlier than originally reported, perhaps during the third burn of the Breeze-M. This would also explain why ground controllers lost contact with the spacecraft: with the wrong orbit, the ground receivers would be pointing at the wrong patch of the sky!

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Lost Russian Communications Satellite Found in Wrong Orbit

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russian Comsat: Missed it By That Much:

[table="head"]{colsp=4}Breeze-M Performance for Express-AM4 Satellite
|Planned|Actual|Difference
Apogee|35786 km|20317 km|15469 km
Perigee|5210 km|1007 km|4203 km
Inclination|20.5 degrees|51.3 degrees|30.8 degrees[/table]​

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Well, even if the satellite will be unusable, we can still enjoy the launch :

 

[N_Molson]

Parabolic Arc: Russian Comsat: Missed it By That Much:

Ouch, more than 30° of Rinc, that hurts !

That means that the BreezeM failed before the plane adjustement manoeuver.

 

[IronRain]

I like this line

On the bright side, the satellite was insured for $270 million.

"Always look on the bright side of life"

 

[MattBaker]

And how expensive was the mission, to build the rocket&the satellite?
I mean, if a Falcon 9-launch is $50 millions, a Proton+satellite isn't $270 millions, is it? :shrug:

 

[SiberianTiger]

It's all too much in the dark yet to be sure of anything, but according to discussions on space forums, the most probable thing to blame is the upper stage's guidance system, which engaged the main engine on time according to the flight procedure, but pointed the nozzle in directions that were more or less wrong every time. Maybe a programming error.

The satellite may be so silent due to one of the two things:
1) First perigee got accidentally lowered below 100 km; despite it was compensated for by subsequent Briz-M's burn, it was enough to fry the sensitive antennas and insulation.
2) Probably, too rough separation.

Till the end of this year, 11 more launches of Proton-M/Briz-M stack were in plans, including 9 commercial and 2 governmental launches. At present moment, all of these plans are put on hold until there's a resolution on this accident.

 

[N_Molson]

Nice to see you, SiberianTiger, it was a long time

I mean, if a Falcon 9-launch is $50 millions, a Proton+satellite isn't $270 millions, is it?

No no no :nono:, a Proton launch is around $80 millions. Labor costs in Russia can't be compared to those in the USA. There are consequences however ; those Briz-M failures might point a quality problem.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Nice to see you, SiberianTiger, it was a long time

Hello folks,

I was away on a trip to my hometown, almost two nice weeks on a sunny riverbank with no access to news!

I wanted to say 'nice to be back and present again some fascinating news', but the topic doesn't let me to. :uhh:

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now: Inquiry into rocket mishap focuses on control system

Investigators probing last week's failure of a Russian rocket are narrowing their focus on the control system of the vehicle's Breeze M upper stage, which left a Russian Express communications satellite in the wrong orbit.

Although officials are tracking the Express AM4 spacecraft in orbit, engineers were still trying to contact the satellite more than five days after it launched, according to a statement released by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

The communications satellite lifted off Aug. 17 on a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The three-stage Proton vehicle performed as designed, then the hydrazine-fueled Breeze M rocket engine took over for five planned burns to direct Express AM4 closer to its ultimate station in space.

But something went awry during the third or fourth burn of the upper stage, and the rocket deployed Express AM4 in the wrong orbit. The initial consensus is there was a problem with the upper stage's guidance or control systems.

{...}

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=17791

:: 08/30/2011

Interdepartmental commission completed its work on the analysis of the causes of abnormal August 18th's launch of "Express-AM4" spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The results of the taken measures and analysis of the information received the Commission allowed to conclude that during the forming of the "Breeze-M" upper stage's timeline, an unreasonable "narrow" time interval was picked for rotation adjustment of the gyro-stabilized platform. This led to an incorrect orientation of "Breeze-M" upper stage, and, as a consequence, to putting of the spacecraft to an unplanned orbit.

The rest of the booster's systems worked without any problems.

As result, of the commission's investigation, the ban on launch preparations of "Proton-M" rockets with "Breeze-M" upper stages was lifted. Preparing of the necessary recommendations to be implemented before the next launches is under way.

The head of Russian Federal Space Agency requested clarification of schedule for spacecraft launches with "Proton" launch vehicle for the remaining four months of 2011.

At the same time, in accordance with orders of Head of Federal Space Agency an administrative investigation for the degree of fault of officials from Roskosmos GKNPTs, Khrunichev Corp., Federal State Unitary Enterprise MOKB "Mars" and the TsNIIMASH is conducted.

It is remaining unclear why the satellite itself could not survive the abnormal orbiting. Probably producers from Astrium will ultimately shed some light on that.

Discussions on novosti-kosmonavtiki forum imply that it's likely that charge of the spacecraft batteries wasn't enough to survive longer than 15 minutes of dark after separation from the booster, and this time was exceeded due to the buggy guidance.

 

[gwiz]

Does "during the formation of the timeline" mean some sort of computer programming error?