Spectacular Proton rocket crash (video)

Its on youtube now.

Big kaboom.

I was watching the live feed. About 15 minutes before launch several people were visible running away from the base of the rocket. Workers don't usually run unless something unusual is going on.

Also - this was a Russian federal launch (under government control). The failure was in the first stage, hard start, early lateral shift and engine failure seems to have occurred, this is consistent with pre-launch fuel leakage from the first stage that people would run away from.

These GLONASS satellites being launched were surplus and being launched three years late. New ones are already being built that would have been even more surplus.

tl;dr - the russians blew up their own rocket and surplus-to-requirement satellites to collect insurance.

Just putting it out there (again - its out there already).

[link to twitpic.com]

Better video from the Russians.

I'm checking other sites and no one else has mentioned people running away. Did you happen to record it?

No recording and this was early in the feed maybe 15-20 minutes. Three or four people running and jumping into 2 army-type vehicles.

With these feeds, if you're not hooked in early, you don't get in at all, so I was in half an hour before and watching by chance at the time. But my feed mostly failed over the launch period anyway because of the extra bandwith use from the changing picture during launch.

Nobody else is picking up on it yet. I'm hearing one report of no casualty's and another that says there is casualty's.

The legitimate explanation for those people being there is security evacuating the pad. And its possible they might have run for entirely unsuspicious reasons, like being late or being told to. Maybe the entire feed has been recorded.

Russian article. No casualties.


[link to www.russianspaceweb.com]

Here's another article.


[link to www.nasaspaceflight.com]

Breaking

edit: Toxic fuel, not nuclear.
edit 2: Now they are saying backup power was RTG NUCLEAR
Edit 3: Now I'm hearing they don't have RTG backup power.


Possible nuclear fuel leaking. Considering evacuating area.

[link to rt.com]


"The emergency ministry of Kazakhstan is considering evacuating the surrounding areas as nuclear fuel leaked from the rocket could threaten the immediate vicinity."

Last Edited by RayGun on 07/02/2013 12:58 AM

[link to twitter.com (secure)]




Anatoly Zak
‏@RussianSpaceWeb
A Baikonur veteran: Engine cutoff on #Proton is blocked for the first 45 seconds to ensure a safe distance from pad.

Atomic clocks use a tiny vial of caesium gas. They confused the word nuclear with toxic. The rocket fuel is toxic.

Thanks, I'll change title again.

"Moscow, you have a problem"

Maybe you shouldn't have, now I'm reading the satellites had RTGs for backup power. Satellites fell away from the main explosion early in breakup though and there's a good chance no plutonium was spilt.

Now I'm hearing that the satellites had RTG for backup power. That makes this a nuclear disaster. [link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]

Edit: Now I'm hearing they don't have RTG. WTF?

Last Edited by RayGun on 07/02/2013 12:57 AM

sabotage?

I really doubt that they would intentionally crash a Proton rocket for insurance. They wouldn't be able to sell them to potential customers if they are not reliable.

I'm going to bed. Feel free to keep the thread going.

This launch was from a government pad under government control. Not commercial, although the rocket was supplied by semi-commercial entities who do sell them and launch from another pad, for example sold by ILS.

Here is some more eye witness video. Anyone speak Russian?

One of the more spectacular crashes I have ever seen.

Article in Russian saying satellites were probably not insured.

[link to 1prime.ru]

This might be the best video yet. Good sound.

Wow, nice find. Do the Russians not have range safety systems or did they think it wouldn't matter since the apogee was that low?

Example of a Titan IV range safety destruct; two seconds after it starts to go off-course they sent the destruct signal to reduce collateral damage to anything it might hit coming down.