May 16, 2015
Khrunichev and International Launch Services (ILS) regret
to announce an anomaly during today's Proton mission with
the Centenario satellite. The satellite was built for
Mexican government’s Ministry of Communications and
Transportation, the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y
Transportes (SCT) by Boeing Satellite Systems International.
The Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off at 11:47 local time
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Centenario
satellite. Preliminary flight information indicates
that the anomaly occurred during the operation of the third
stage, approximately 490 seconds after liftoff.
A Russian State Commission has begun the process of
determining the reasons for the anomaly. ILS will
release details when data becomes available. In
parallel with the State Commission, ILS will form its own
Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB). The FROB will
review the commission’s final report and corrective action
plan, in accord with U.S. and Russian government export
control regulations.
ILS remains committed to providing reliable, timely launch
services for all its customers. To this end, ILS will
work diligently with its partner Khrunichev to return Proton
to flight as soon as possible.