Tags: Proton, International Launch Services, Breeze M, Khrunichev
Publication: Space.com
Publication Date: 12/17/2012

The Yamal 402 satellite on board the Proton rocket ready to launch at the the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 9. Image credit: ILS

The third failure of the Breeze-M upper stage of Russia’s Proton rocket in 16 months has pushed its manufacturers to conduct a thorough assessment of Breeze-M. Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center will perform the review, which is expected to take six months to one year.

The last failure occurred on Dec. 9, when the Breeze-M shut down approximately four minutes early during its fourth and final burn. This caused the rocket to place the Yamal 402 telecommunications satellite into the wrong orbit. International Launch Services has reported that the raw telemetry from the incident will be relinquished to Russian independent analysts for a separate investigation.

ILS has denied any possibility that the premature shutdown of the Breeze-M stage could lead to a future in-orbit explosion, but the next launch date, scheduled for Dec. 28, is still not confirmed.

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