News

Roscosmos. Press-conference on the findings of the State Committee investigation of the Soyuz failure of October 11, 2018

A press-conference on the findings of the State Committee investigation of the cause of contingency occurred during Soyuz-FG LV/ Soyuz MS-10 spaceship launch on October 11, 2018 has been held at the Mission Control Center of TsNIImash (the Central Research Institute of Machine Building).

The press-conference participants are: the Chair of the Investigation Committee/ TsNIImash Deputy Director General Mr. Oleg Skorobogatov, TsNIImash Acting Director General Mr. Nikolai Sevastyanov, Roscosmos Deputy Director General for Rocket Building, Space-Related Ground Infrastructure and Quality Assurance Mr. Alexander Lopatin, Energia Director General Mr. Sergey Romanov, Progress Director General Mr. Dmitry Baranov, TsNIImash Designer General of Launch Vehicles and Space-Related Ground Infrastructure/ Deputy Director General Mr. Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Bio-Medical Agency Mr. Vyacheslav Rogozhnikov, Director of the Institute of Bio-Medical Problems at RAS Academician Oleg Orlov, and Head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Mr. Pavel Vlasov.

As follows from the findings of the Investigation Committee told to reporters by Oleg Skorobogatov, «The launch ended up with a launcher failure caused by abnormal separation of one of the strap-on boosters (Block D) that hit with its nose the core stage (Block A) in the fuel tank area. It resulted in its decompression and, as consequence, the space rocket lost its attitude control.»

The abnormal separation was caused by the non-opening of the lid of the nozzle intended to separate aside Block D oxidizer tank due to the deformation of the separation sensor pin (bended by 6˚45‘). It was damaged during the assembling of the strap-on boosters with the core stage (the Packet) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The LV failure cause is of the operational nature and spreads to the stock of already assembled packets of the Soyuz rocket.



The Emergency Crew Rescue System of Soyuz MS-10 spaceship functioned properly. The crew was acting as required by the on-board instructions and those given by the Mission Control Center.



To ensure the implementation of the Launch Manifest for the missions under the Federal Space Program and Russia’s international cooperation programs, Roscosmos has arranged a development of preventive measures to avoid any such contingences in the future and taking of urgent actions to resume Soyuz launches in November 2018. Along with that, the State Committee has approved the launch dates under the International Space Station Program as follows: the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket with Progress MS −10 cargo spaceship to go on November 16, 2018, and the launch of Soyuz MS-11 manned spaceship to go on December 3, 2018. The crew of Soyuz MS-09 — Alexander Gerst (ESA), Sergey Prokopiev (Roscosmos) and Serina Auñón-Chensellor (NASA) — will return to the Earth on December 20, 2018.