Three Satellites Lost When Booster Failed

An investigation conducted by Roscsomos has found that sensors aboard the Proton rocket that went down just after launch earlier this month were installed upside down, causing them to send incorrect information to the vehicle's onboard computers.

The publication russianspaceweb.com reports that the angular velocity sensors (DUS) are marked with arrows that are supposed to point toward the nose of the rocket. Investigators combing through the wreckage found that the arrows were pointing down instead. When the rocket launched, the flight control system tried to "correct" for the data it was receiving from the sensors, causing the rocket to veer out of control and impact the ground.

A paper trail has led to a technician who installed the devices. The website reports that while preflight checks at the Baikonur assembly building indicated that the circuits were working properly, there was apparently no visual inspection of the sensors.

The accident led to a criminal investigation. Russian Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the investigation "would identify those who despite numerous government requests failed to deal with many issues of quality control." He said that the rocket had been manufactured and delivered to the launch facility before his administration had put the military back in charge of certification of rocket technology.

Rogozin said that an engineering group that does not include Proton's contractors has been formed to review the entire manufacturing and quality control process, according to the report.

(Image from YouTube video.)

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