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The Programming Error That Caused Russia’s Rocket Launch to Fail

A failed Russian space rocket launch is currently under investigation. Official reports are pointing to an error in
the programming.

By  Donovan Alexander

December 13th, 2017
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Телестудия Роскосмоса/YouTube    

On Tuesday, November 28, early in the morning, a Russian rocket mission failed. The rocket was transporting 19
satellites on board into orbit, including the Meteor-M2-1 weather and climate-monitoring satellite, along with a
cluster of 18 secondary payloads. Russian of cials and scientists were puzzled over what had triggered the
failed launch. As of now, of cials may have discovered the cause of the problem. This launch was the second
launch from Russia’s new spaceport but rst to use the Fregat upper stage.

Пуск РКН «Союз-2.1б» с КА «Метеор-М» № 2-1(сборник HD)

Se senere Del

Multiple Russian sources and news reports are pointing their ngers to the guidance computer on the Soyuz
launcher's Fregat upper stage. According to Russian of cials, the 19 satellites, including the other spacecraft
U.S., Canadian, EU, and Japanese companies have fallen into the Atlantic ocean after the rocket ignited in the
wrong direction.

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In short, when the Fregat vehicle separated from the rocket, it was not able to nd the correct direction. This
triggered a chain of events that caused the spacecraft on its destructive trajectory into the atmosphere. Soyuz
was unable to boost the satellites into orbit, redirecting the payload downward toward the earth.

As the rocket launched Tuesday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russian, the upper part of the
Fregat was supposed to ignite its main engine seven times immediately after launch. The Russian state-
operated RIA Novosti news agency stated that “the Fregat upper stage made an unanticipated turn before
starting its planned 77-second orbital insertion burn.”

After further review of the computer guidance system, a programming error may have led the Fregat to make
the 360-degree maneuver that led the rocket's mis re in the wrong direction. Allegedly this computer system
lacked the correct setting for the launch in Eastern Russia. According to the Russian Space Web. “As a result, as
soon as Fregat and its cargo separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle, its ight control system began
commanding a change of orientation of the stack to compensate for what the computer had perceived as a
deviation from the correct attitude, which was considerable,” says the website. “As a result, when the Fregat
began its rst preprogrammed main engine ring, the vehicle was apparently still changing its attitude, which
led to a maneuvering in a wrong direction.” The Russian Interfax news agency also con rmed that the
programming mistake caused a failure.

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 Source: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation 

The Russian government intends to continue their investigation of the causes of the launch formally.
Representatives from the Roscosmos and key aerospace industry of cials will be included in the investigation
until its completion in the middle of December.
 
 
Via: Ars Technica, Space ight Now, Russian Space Web

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