Rokot crash could damage launch vehicle contracts

Published: 1/17/2000

On 22nd December 1999, a Rokot space launcher converted from the RS-18 ICBM suffered irreparable damage during a ground test, when it accidently seperated the first stage from the second and ejecting the fairing - the surrounding the satellite. Initially, officials at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre said that only the fairing had been ejected during the incident. While Khrunichev spokesman, Sergei Zhiltsov, conceded that the first launch of a Rokot would probably be delayed until March, he insisted that the failed test is only a "minor setback" for the centre, which has so far secured orders for ten Rokot launches in the next five years. It has already purchased 37 SS-19 Stiletto ballistic missiles, in order to convert them into Rokot launchers. However, a veteran officer at the Strategic Missile Force, which runs the cosmodrome, claimed that the failure damaged Rokot's reputation and could jeopardise future contracts for satellite launches. The officer, who requested anonymity, said that, during the test, the rocket shook violently in its launch container and almost broke in half. He added that the incident would have been significantly more serious had there been fuel in the rocket tanks, or had the satellite been mounted. Associated articles: www.concise.org 21st April 1999

Article ID: 1316