Tag: proton

Russia Prepares To Inaugurate a New Space Era at Vostochy

Russia Prepares To Inaugurate a New Space Era at Vostochy

After a somewhat troubled development which featured launch vehicle changes, worker strikes and charges of corruption, Russia is finally ready to christen its new Vostochny Cosmodrome in a baptism of fire, courtesy of a Soyuz 2.1a rocket. Liftoff of the first booster to fly from the new spaceport, which is located in the nation’s Far […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Red Planet Roulette: Russia’s Proton May Have Endangered ExoMars Probe

Red Planet Roulette: Russia’s Proton May Have Endangered ExoMars Probe

When European Space Agency mission controllers received confirmation that the the ExMars probe had successfully separated from the upper stage of the Proton rocket which boosted it to orbit, they no doubt breathed a particularly deep sigh of relief. Everyone had to be aware that the decision to use Russia’s Proton as the launch vehicle, […]

Posted in: Mars, Russian Space
After NASA Backs Out, Russia’s Proton Lofts ExoMars to the Red Planet (Update)

After NASA Backs Out, Russia’s Proton Lofts ExoMars to the Red Planet (Update)

Update: Europe’s Exo-Mars mission is successfully on its way to the Red Planet following successful completion of all four burns of the Briz-M and stage separation which took place at 20:13 GMT. At 21:29 GMT, ESA’s control center in Darmstadt, Germany received signal confirmation that spacecraft is in good health and the solar wings have unfolded. […]

Posted in: Mars
Progress Orbit Correction for ISS Fails

Progress Orbit Correction for ISS Fails

In what is shaping up to be a truly miserably month for the Russian aerospace sector, two Russian news outlets are reporting that Friday’s planned orbit boost of the International Space Station did not take place. According to Sputnik International:  “The Russian Mission Control Center was informed of the fact that the Progress’ engines did […]

Russian Aerospace Free Fall : Another Proton Fails

Russian Aerospace Free Fall : Another Proton Fails

Screen Capture of Proton MexSat-1 Launch The Russian aerospace industry suffered a new failure overnight as another Proton booster, this one operating for U.S. marketer International Launch Services, failed to reach orbit. The failure occurred approximately one minute before the payload, with Briz-M upper stage still attached, was supposed to separate from the rocket’s 3rd […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Russian Angara Lifts Off In Test of Post Soviet Era Rocket Technology

Russian Angara Lifts Off In Test of Post Soviet Era Rocket Technology

Russia’s long awaited Angara booster lifted off today on a suborbital test flight which carried with it the hopes of a revival in the Russian launch industry after years decades of reliance on Soviet era boosters.  The Angara 1.2PP or ML (Maiden Launch) Integrated Launch Vehicle (ILV) lifted off from the far northern Plesetsk cosmodrome […]

Will Soyuz Beat Orion Around the Moon?

Will Soyuz Beat Orion Around the Moon?

On June 3rd, the Moscow Times reported on a new development in Space Adventure’s plan to launch two tourists on a voyage around the Moon.  Having scored notable success as the first and only company to arrange tourist, or “space flight participant” trips to the International Space Station, Space Adventures has been promoting the lunar […]

Posted in: Soyuz, Space Tourism
Proton Problems Persist

Proton Problems Persist

Russia may soon need its own trampoline. Overnight, a Russian Proton-M booster lifted off from Baikonur carrying the Express AM4R communications satellite built by EADS Astrium.  Like all too many Proton payloads in recent years, it did not reach the correct orbit, or in this case, any orbit at all. Instead it suffered a complete […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Proton Boosts Two Satellites to Orbit

Proton Boosts Two Satellites to Orbit

The Proton, Russia’s largest booster, continued its successful entry into 2014 with the March 16 launch of two communications satellites.  Liftoff out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan took place at 3:08 am Moscow time, (7:08 pm EDT) and the Breeze M upper stage placed the Express AT-1 and Express AT-2 satellites into geostationary orbit […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Sea Changes for Sea Launch

Sea Changes for Sea Launch

For nearly 15 years.  the large ComSat  launch market has been dominated by three companies; Arianespace, which operates the market leading Ariane V, International Launch Services of Reston, Va., which markets the Russian built Proton heavy lift rocket, and Sea Launch, which operates the Ukraine/Russian Zenit-3SL. Although the Proton has certainly had its share of […]

π