Investigators have no info alleging sabotage behind Proton-M rocket failure - Roscosmos
MOSCOW. May 29 (Interfax-AVN) - A "premeditated sabotage" theory is not the main one in the investigation looking into the recent loss of Russia's Proton-M launch vehicle, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) told Interfax-AVN.
Rather, specialists believe that the accident was most likely caused by technical reasons.
"A theory suggesting human error, including deliberate violations of production technical norms, is analyzed during an inquiry into any disaster or accident. It is a standard procedure. However, the [investigating] commission has no information pointing to this," he said.
"The commission believes that it was apparently caused by technical reasons, all of which are related to the functioning of the steering control engine of the third stage," the spokesman said.
"The most likely causes include the destruction of the turbo-pump bearing fastener and depressurization of the fuel supply line," he said.
It was reported earlier that an interagency commission investigating the crash of a Proton-M launch vehicle carrying an Express-AM4R spacecraft has pinned down the most likely cause of the accident and does not rule out sabotage behind it.
"What seems the most likely cause of the crash today is the destruction of the turbo-pump bearing fastener in the control engine of the rocket's third stage," says Alexander Danilyuk, a first deputy CEO of the Central Scientific Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), who is leading the commission.
"Premeditated sabotage cannot be ruled out," the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) quoted Danilyuk as saying in a statement on Thursday.
A Proton-M launch vehicle coupled with a Briz-M upper stage and an Express-AM4R communication satellite was launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on May 16. A malfunction during the third stage's operation prevented the launch vehicle from placing the spacecraft into orbit. Roscosmos and the Defense Ministry set up an interagency commission to investigate the crash, which includes 24 experts from Roscosmos, the Defense Ministry, the United Space Rocket Corporation, M.V. Keldysh Research Center, the Technomash research and production association, the Central Research Institute of Aerospace Defense, and other organizations.