. | . |
Russia seeks answers on ISS cargo ship crash by Staff Writers Moscow (AFP) Dec 2, 2016 Russian investigators on Friday were probing the crash shortly after launch of an unmanned spaceship taking cargo to the International Space Station, focusing on the Soyuz carrier rocket. Russia's space agency said the Progress ship -- carrying tons of food and equipment as well as gifts for the ISS crew of six -- was lost minutes after launch Thursday evening in "an abnormal situation." The Russian agency said a state commission would probe the failure but did not say whether the timing of future launches would be affected. It said the spaceship burned up in the atmosphere above the remote Tuva region of Siberia. The region's emergency ministry said Friday that no debris had been found. Reports on Friday pointed to a possible problem with the Soyuz carrier rocket -- used in both manned and unmanned launches -- which has been blamed for two previous failed Progress launches. The Kommersant daily cited a source close to the Roscosmos space agency as saying the investigation would focus on the engine of the third-stage rocket, which is the last to fall away after launch. If the glitch was caused by negligence, the makers could face disciplinary action, the source said. TASS state news agency cited space industry sources as saying the combustion chambers in the engine may have burnt out, possibly due to defective assembly. The investigation could delay the launch of the next Progress cargo ship, set for February 2, it reported. If the engine is found to be faulty, all those currently installed in Soyuz rockets will have to be retested, delaying future launches, another source told RIA Novosti news agency. In April 2015, a failed Progress launch was also blamed on a problem with the Soyuz rocket, a space workhorse dating back to the Cold War era. Because the same type of rocket is used for manned ships, Russia put all space travel on hold for nearly three months, and a group of astronauts had to spend an extra month on the ISS. am/ma/ser
Related Links Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |