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47-669: The Proton-M , (Протон-М) GRAU index 8K82M or 8K82KM , is an expendable Russian heavy-lift launch vehicle derived from the Soviet -developed Proton . It is built by Khrunichev , and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan . Commercial launches are marketed by International Launch Services (ILS), and generally use Site 200/39. The first Proton-M launch occurred on 7 April 2001. Proton flew its most recent mission on 12 March 2023. As of August 2020,

94-424: A Cyrillic character, indicates the subcategory. The third part, a number, indicates the specific model. The optional suffix can be used to differentiate variants of the same model. International Launch Services International Launch Services, Inc. ( ILS ) is a joint venture with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Angara and Proton rocket launch services. Proton launches take place at

141-482: A 5500 kg payload into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Efforts were also made to reduce dependency on foreign component suppliers. Most Proton-M launches have used a Briz-M upper stage to propel the spacecraft into a higher orbit. Launches have also been made with Blok-DM upper stages: six launches were made with the Blok DM-02 upper stage carrying GLONASS spacecraft, while seven further launches have used

188-512: A Proton-M/Briz-M rocket carrying Japan's JCSAT-11 communications satellite failed to achieve orbit, and fell in the Ulytau District of Kazakhstan . An investigation determined that first and second stages of the rocket had failed to separate, due to a damaged pyrotechnic cable. On 5 December 2010, the upper stage and payloads failed to reach orbital velocity due to overloading of the upper stage with 1500 kg of liquid oxygen, resulting in

235-408: A backlog of 22 orders, totaling approximately US$ 2 billion, and had flown 45 commercial Proton missions since 1996. By June 2009, the backlog had grown to 24 firm missions. The 50th ILS Proton launch took place in early 2009. In January 2014, ILS had an order book of 14 launches worth more than US$ 1 billion, with up to 6 launches planned for 2014. Most Proton payloads are too massive to launch with

282-623: A consultant to ILS since its inception and a board member for more than three years. The transaction between Lockheed Martin and Space Transport Inc. completed in October 2006. Lockheed Martin has retained all rights related to marketing the commercial Atlas vehicle and is continuing to offer Atlas launch services to the worldwide commercial market through its subsidiary, Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, Inc. (LMCLS). ILS, no longer affiliated with Lockheed Martin, continued to market

329-592: A fixed (non-gimballed) version of the RD-0210, and one RD-0214 which is a four nozzle vernier engine used for thrust vector control. The nozzles of the RD-0214 can turn up to 45.0°; they are placed around (with some separation), and moderately above the nozzle of the RD-0213. The Proton-M features modifications to the lower stages to reduce structural mass, increase thrust, and utilise more propellant. A closed-loop guidance system

376-798: A full year after the previous flight on 6 June 2016. Among the various Proton-M failures, some have been caused by the upper stages used to allow the rocket to deliver payloads to higher orbit, notably the failures in May 2014 and May 2015. At least five earlier launches also succumbed to problems with the Briz-M upper stage; Arabsat-4A in February 2006, AMC-14 in March 2008, Ekspress AM4 in August 2011, Telkom-3 and Ekspress MD2 in August 2012 and Yamal-402 in December 2012. All of

423-434: A lower payload capacity at a reduced price. Originally proposed end of 2016, Proton Light was cancelled in 2017 and Proton Medium was put on "indefinite hold" in 2018. The variants were designed to reduce the cost for launching medium and small commercial communications satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). The variants were planned with a 2 + 1 stage architecture based on 3 stage Proton/Briz M, but dispensing with

470-461: A new transporter-erector system and other ground infrastructure changes. The full-sized Proton-M can currently lift 6300 kg into a standard Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO); Proton Medium was planned to lift 5000 kg into a similar GTO while Proton Light was rated for 3600 kg. The 3000–5000 kg payload range includes all-electric and hybrid satellites that use ion thrusters to slowly make their way into geostationary orbit (GEO). In

517-427: A number of Roscosmos and other Russian government missions remain on Proton launch manifest. The Proton-M launch vehicle consists of three stages; all of them powered by liquid rocket engines using the hypergolic propellant combination of dinitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer, and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine for fuel. The first stage is unique in that it consists of a central cylindrical oxidizer tank with

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564-596: A parking orbit with 51.5° inclination , at 170 km to 230 km altitude (the Mission Planner's Guide also mentions 64.8° and 72.6° as standard inclinations for the parking orbit). Subsequently, the Briz-M performs orbital maneuvers to place the payload into either its final orbit or a transfer orbit. If a transfer orbit is used the final maneuver(s) are performed by the payload on its own propulsion system. As of 22 June 2024, 115 Proton-M launches had occurred, of which 11 failed or partially failed, yielding

611-442: A propellant line and causing the vernier to lose thrust. In May 2015, a Proton-M with a Mexican telecommunications satellite, MexSat-1 , was lost due to problems with the third stage. Russian sources indicated that the problems had been the same as with the 2014 failure. An investigation determined that the third stage vernier engine RD-0214 failed due to excessive vibration loads, which had been caused by an increasing imbalance of

658-456: A service designation. For example, one of the surface-to-air missiles in the S-25 Berkut air defense system had at least four domestic designations: Some Soviet general-purpose bombs bore a designation that looked confusingly similar to GRAU. The first part of a GRAU index is a number indicating which of the several main categories of equipment a given item belongs to. The second part,

705-441: A spate of Proton/Breeze M launch failures. In the last few years, most launch contracts for large commercial geostationary satellites — which have declined overall as more operators look at smaller spacecraft sizes — have gone to SpaceX and Arianespace . Proton flew its last scheduled commercial mission on 9 October 2019, delivering Eutelsat 5 West B and MEV-1 to geostationary orbit. After October 2006, ILS focused solely on

752-600: A success rate of 90%. Four of these failures were the results of problems with the Proton-M itself, six were caused by the Briz-M upper stage malfunctioning and leaving cargo in a useless orbit (albeit on two instances the satellites were able to maneuver to correct orbit under their own propulsion), and one was the result of a Blok DM-03 upper stage being incorrectly fueled, leaving the Proton too heavy to achieve orbit. In September 2007,

799-537: A typical mission, a Proton-M is accompanied by a Briz-M upper stage. The Proton-M launches the orbital unit (that is: the payload, the payload adapter and the Briz-M) into a slightly suborbital trajectory. The first and second stages and the payload fairing crash into designated crash sites; the third stage crashes into the ocean. After the third stage separates, the orbital unit coasts for a brief period, then Briz-M performs its first firing to achieve orbital injection into

846-424: Is used on the first stage, which allows more complete consumption of propellant. This increases the rocket's performance slightly compared to previous variants, and reduces the amount of toxic chemicals remaining in the stage when it impacts downrange. It can place up to 21,000 kilograms (46,000 lb) into low Earth orbit . With an upper stage, it can place a 3000 kg payload into geostationary orbit (GEO), or

893-403: The 2S19 Msta self-propelled howitzer, has the index 2S19 , without suffix; Msta-S is the codename. Several common misconceptions surround the scope and originating body of these indices. The GRAU designation is not an industrial designation, nor is it assigned by the design bureau. In addition to its GRAU designation, a given piece of equipment could have a design name, an industrial name and

940-671: The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan while Angara is launched from the Plesetsk and Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia . ILS was formed in 1995 as a private spaceflight partnership between Lockheed Martin (LM), Khrunichev and Energia . ILS initially co-marketed non-military launches on both the American Atlas and the Russian Proton expendable launch vehicles . With the Atlas V launch of

987-678: The Blok DM-03 . As of 2023, only a single Proton-M launch has taken place without an upper stage to launch Nauka and the European Robotic Arm (ERA) to the International Space Station in July 2021. Commercial launches conducted by ILS use two kinds of fairings: Both fairings have a diameter of 4.35 meters. On 7 July 2007, International Launch Services launched the first Proton-M Enhanced rocket (also called M+ ), which carried

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1034-577: The DirecTV-10 satellite into orbit. This was the 326th launch of a Proton, the 16th Proton-M/Briz-M launch, and the 41st Proton launch to be conducted by ILS. It features more efficient first stage engines, updated avionics, lighter fuel tanks and more powerful vernier engines on the Briz-M upper stage, and mass reduction throughout the rocket, including thinner fuel tank walls on the first stage, and use of composite materials on all other stages. The second launch of this variant occurred on 18 August 2008, and

1081-558: The SES Astra 1KR satellite on 20 April 2006, ILS had made 100 launches, 97 of which were successful. In September 2006, Lockheed-Martin announced its intention to sell its ownership interests in Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International, Inc. (LKEI) and International Launch Services, Inc. (ILS) to Space Transport Inc. Space Transport Inc. was formed specifically for this transaction by Mario Lemme, who has been

1128-511: The Volga–Urals Military District . Since 2009, there have been a number of fires and explosions at GRAU ammunition storage depots. GRAU indices are of the form ⟨number⟩ ⟨letter⟩ ⟨number⟩ , sometimes with a further suffix ⟨letter⟩ ⟨number⟩ . They may be followed by a specially assigned codename. For example " 2 S 19   Msta-S ",

1175-412: The 2013 crash, this occurred more than nine minutes into the flight when one of the third stage verniers shut off, causing loss of attitude control. An automatic shutdown and destruct command was issued and the remains of the upper stages and payload impacted in northern China. An investigation committee concluded that the failure was most likely due to one of the turbopumps breaking off its mount, rupturing

1222-422: The 2nd stage and featuring minor lengthening of the other two stages. The Proton Light 1st stage was planned with 4 main engines and external tanks to the 6 used by Proton Medium and Proton-M. The cost was expected to be competitive with Ariane and SpaceX. The planned maiden flights were 2018 for Proton Medium and 2019 for Proton Light. They were expected to use Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24 and would have required

1269-550: The 60th at Kaluga , the 63rd at Lipetsk , the 75th at Serpukhov south of Moscow, and the 97th at Skolin (all five in the Moscow Military District ). An additional possibly disused arsenal in the Moscow Military District is the 107th at Toropets . The 5th at Alatyr, Chuvash Republic , the 80th Arsenal at Gagarskiy, the 103rd Arsenal at Saransk , Mordovia , and the 116th at Krasno-Oktyabrskiy were all in

1316-610: The Proton launch vehicle, so no longer offered Atlas launches. The first Atlas launch was the Atlas IIAS Intelsat 704 launch on 10 January 1995 and the last was the Atlas V Astra 1KR launch on 20 April 2006. ILS began marketing the Angara rocket to commercial customers in July 2015. The company's first commercial Angara mission is expected to launch in no earlier than 2023 carrying Kompsat 6, an Earth observation satellite operated by

1363-414: The Proton launch vehicles to commercial clients. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. All Atlas V launches are now managed by United Launch Alliance , a joint-venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing ( IDS/Defense, Space & Security/Launch Services ) formed in December 2006, with all commercial Atlas V launches sub-contracted for ULA by LMCLS. In October 2006, Krunichev spokesman said that

1410-514: The [Russian] space industry as we know it". Critics claim that Proton rocket fuel ( unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH)) and debris created by Russia's space programme is poisoning areas of Russia and Kazakhstan . Residents claim that acid rain falls after some launches. Anatoly Kuzin, deputy director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center , has however denied these claims, saying: "We did special research into

1457-401: The exhaust to escape because the second stage begins firing seconds before separation. Known as " hot staging ," this eliminates the need for ullage thrusters on the second stage. Thrust vector control is provided by engine gimballing. The third stage is also of a conventional cylindrical design. It contains the avionics system that controls the first two stages. It uses one RD-0213 which is

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1504-596: The firm was ready to buy the stake being sold by Lockheed Martin . Russian space agency spokesman said that despite that Lockheed is selling its stake to Space Transport, Khrunichev may eventually end up owning it. He expressed the desire of the Russian side to increase its presence in the joint venture. Space Transport Inc, registered in the British Virgin Islands and headquartered in Moscow , denied that it would be selling

1551-414: The forces experienced followed by the first stage breaking apart and erupting in flames. Impact with the ground occurred 30 seconds after liftoff. The preliminary report of the investigation into the July 2013 failure indicated that three of the first stage angular velocity sensors, responsible for yaw control, were installed in an incorrect orientation. As the error affected the redundant sensors as well as

1598-423: The fully assembled stack is transported again by rail, as it has enough clearance. The second stage uses a conventional cylindrical design. It is powered by three RD-0210 engines and one RD-0211 engine. The RD-0211 is a version of the RD-0210 modified with a heat exchanger used to pressurize the propellant tanks. The second stage is joined to the first stage through a net instead of a closed inter-stage, to allow

1645-536: The future, in order to bring "pricing squarely in line with our customer's needs..." and to jointly work on solutions that facilitate "...better products, more services [...] and a capability to implement a broader and more flexible set of strategic launch agreements...". ILS' ownership structure remains unchanged and it continues to act independently as an American corporation. Any future change contemplated to change ILS' ownership structure, in place since 2008, would be subject to regulatory approvals. In May 2008, ILS had

1692-461: The issue. The level of acidity in the atmosphere is not affected by the rocket launches [and] there is no data to prove any link between the illnesses, in Altai town and the influence of rocket fuel components or space activity of any kind". GRAU index The organization dates back to 1862 when it was established under the name Главное артиллерийское управление (ГАУ – GAU ). The "R" from "rockets"

1739-806: The launch pad around June 2017 to deliver the EchoStar-21 satellite to orbit. On 28 January 2017, the Russian government announced, as a result of the investigation into the failure of Progress MS-04 , the recall of all Proton-M 2nd and 3rd stage engines produced by the Voronezh Mechanical Plant , including the disassembly of three completed Proton rockets and a three and a half month suspension of flights. The investigation found that cheaper alternatives, unable to resist high temperatures, had been used in place of engine parts containing valuable minerals, and that production and certification documentation had been falsified. Proton returned to flight 8 June 2017,

1786-403: The less powerful Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, and there were no spare Ariane 5 launch opportunities, so Proton customers cannot easily switch to other launchers. However, as of 2018, the Proton rockets had a very low launch rate with no commercial launches in 2018 and two commercial launches in 2019 due to multiple factors including the emergence of new commercial launch providers like SpaceX and

1833-469: The loss of three GLONASS satellites it was carrying. In July 2013, a Proton-M/DM-03 carrying three GLONASS satellites failed shortly after liftoff. The booster began pitching left and right along the vertical axis within a few seconds of launch. Attempts by the onboard guidance computer to correct the flight trajectory failed and ended up putting it into an unrecoverable pitchover. The upper stages and payload were stripped off 24 seconds after launch due to

1880-477: The payloads were unusable except for Yamal-402, which was able to correct its orbit at the expense of several years' operational life, and AMC-14 which was sold to the US Government after SES determined that it couldn't complete its original mission. As a result of the July 2013, Proton-M launch failure, a major reorganization of the Russian space industry was undertaken. The United Rocket and Space Corporation

1927-418: The primary ones, the rocket was left with no yaw control, which resulted in the failure. Telemetry data also indicated that a pad umbilical had detached prematurely, suggesting that the Proton may have launched several tenths of a second early, before the engines reached full thrust. In May 2014, another Proton-M launch ended in failure, resulting in the loss of an Ekspress telecommunications satellite. Unlike

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1974-500: The rotor in the turbopump and concluded it was the same cause of a prior accident in 1988. In a June 2016 launch, one of the four second stage engines shut down prematurely. The Briz-M was able to make up for the resulting stage under-performance and deliver the Intelsat 31 satellite to the intended orbit. Pending an investigation, the rocket was grounded for the rest of 2016 and first half of 2017: Proton-M at that time planned to return to

2021-491: The same diameter as the other two stages with six fuel tanks attached to its circumference, each carrying an engine. The engines in this stage can swivel tangentially up to 7.0° from the neutral position, providing full thrust vector control . The rationale for this design is logistics: the diameter of the oxidizer tanks and the two following stages is the maximum that can be delivered by railroad to Baikonur. However, within Baikonur

2068-541: The stake. In May 2008, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center , a Russian company, acquired all of Space Transport's interest and is now the majority shareholder in ILS. ILS will remain an American company and headquarters are currently in Reston , Virginia , near Washington, D.C. where approximately 60 employees are based. In April 2019, Glavkosmos and ILS announced that they will be working closer together in

2115-554: Was added to the title from 19 November 1960. The GRAU is responsible for assigning GRAU indices to Russian army munitions and equipment . As of December 2021, the Chief of the GRAU was Major General Nikolay Romanovsky. Arsenals of the GRAU, according to Kommersant -Vlast in 2005, included the 53rd at Dzerzhinsk, Nizhniy Novogorod Oblast , the 55th in the Sklad-40 microraion at Rzhev ,

2162-409: Was formed as a joint-stock corporation by the government in August 2013 to consolidate the Russian space sector. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said "the failure-prone space sector is so troubled that it needs state supervision to overcome its problems". Three days following the failure, the Russian government had announced that "extremely harsh measures" would be taken "and spell the end of

2209-710: Was used to place Inmarsat 4 F3 into orbit. The baseline Proton-M was retired in November 2007, in favour of the Enhanced variant. Frank McKenna, CEO of ILS, has indicated that in 2010 the Phase III Proton design would become the standard ILS configuration, with the ability to lift 6150 kg to GTO. On 19 October 2011, ViaSat-1 weighing 6740 kg was lifted into GTO by the Proton-M/Briz-M Phase III. Proton Light and Proton Medium were two proposed variants with

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