The 2nd launch from the new Russian cosmodrome from Vostochny is a bitter failure
Décidément, rien ne se déroule comme prévu pour l'industrie spatiale russe. Mardi, l'agence Roskosmos a annoncé avoir perdu le contact avec son satellite météorologique Meteor quelques heures après le décollage de la fusée Soyouz 2.1B depuis le tout nouveau cosmodrome de Vostochny, situé à l'extrémité est du pays. S'il s'agit du premier échec de l'année pour la Russie (pour 17 lancements réussis), cela porte à 16 le nombre de tirs ratés depuis 2010, soit deux par an en moyenne. Un taux d'échec deux fois supérieur à celui enregistré depuis 1957. L'année 2011 plombe cette moyenne puisqu'elle fut particulièrement désastreuse avec quatre échecs (probablement un record pour la Russie).
This new setback is particularly humiliating because it is the 2nd launch since its brand new Cosmodrome in Vostochny, in the east of the country.The latter, intended to replace the Baikonour cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan, was to mark the revival of the Russian space sector.The cost of this titanic project, carried personally by Vladimir Putin, was evaluated between 4 and 5 billion euros by the Russian media.Started in 2012, the site was delayed several times.Many suspicions of corruption and embezzlement have triggered the opening of dozens of surveys by Russian justice.The pitch intended for Soyuz rockets was only completed in early 2016. The first launch in April was offset by day, due to a defective cable, causing the fury of the Russian president, present on the spot.
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This time, a human error could be the cause of failure.The upper floor Fregat, supposedly put in orbit the Russian satellite as well as 18 microsatellites of various origins (Canada, United States, Japan, Germany, Sweden and Norway) would have been badly positioned during the pre-programmed flight sequence, reportsThe Interfax agency (relayed by the Russianspaceweb site).He would have plunged into the Atlantic Ocean after having rekindled his engines."All the initial phases of the rocket flight took place according to the plan," simply commented Roskosmos in a press release, assuring that it analyzed the possible causes of the loss of the satellite.
A third launch was scheduled for the end of the year on December 22.It is still too early to find out if Russia will maintain this calendar.The country must continue its exploitation of the Baikonour cosmodrome, which it rents 115 million euros per year to its neighbor, at least until 2023. The shot intended to launch from Vostochny the future angara rockets, replacement of the ProtonAging, is not yet ready.It will not be operational before 2021 at the earliest.The first flight inhabited from Vostochny is not planned before 2023. Currently, only the Soyuz rockets that start from Baikonour allow to send astronauts aboard the international space station.
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