Russians find serious problems with three Proton rockets
As a result of a new quality control inspection system, the Russians have discovered that three Proton rockets delivered for launch had serious issues, and have sent them back to the manufacturer.
Three Proton-M heavy-lift launch vehicles designated for launching satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome will be returned to the Khrunichev rocket manufacturer in Moscow so that low-quality parts can be replaced, a source in the space and rocket industry has told Sputnik.
The defective parts, believed to have been manufactured between 2015 and 2016, were said to have been discovered last month due to checks under a new quality control system introduced by Roscosmos. “Having analyzed the situation, experts came to the conclusion that the replacement of the [faulty] components on the three Proton-M rockets located at Baikonur could only be done at the factory,” the source said.
Two of the rockets have already been loaded up onto a train and sent back, with the remaining rocket to be sent back at a later date.
This is a follow-up on the March 11th story where they had discovered “mismatched” parts on a Proton. They have also had to replace an entire stage on a Soyuz due a malfunction detected prior to launch.
While it is excellent news that the Russians are now catching these issues before launch, that they continue to have such problems at the manufacturing level is not good.
Their problem is that in Russia they do not permit competition. The government works hand-in-glove with the established players to lock out new companies. Thus, no natural mechanism exists to weed out bad operations. They are trying to do it with tighter inspections, but in the end, that just adds cost and slows operations.
Meanwhile, in a related story, the manufacturer of Soyuz rockets has suspended operations because of fear of the Wuhan virus. The suspension probably makes some sense, as they have a lot of rockets (52) already built.
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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As a result of a new quality control inspection system, the Russians have discovered that three Proton rockets delivered for launch had serious issues, and have sent them back to the manufacturer.
Three Proton-M heavy-lift launch vehicles designated for launching satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome will be returned to the Khrunichev rocket manufacturer in Moscow so that low-quality parts can be replaced, a source in the space and rocket industry has told Sputnik.
The defective parts, believed to have been manufactured between 2015 and 2016, were said to have been discovered last month due to checks under a new quality control system introduced by Roscosmos. “Having analyzed the situation, experts came to the conclusion that the replacement of the [faulty] components on the three Proton-M rockets located at Baikonur could only be done at the factory,” the source said.
Two of the rockets have already been loaded up onto a train and sent back, with the remaining rocket to be sent back at a later date.
This is a follow-up on the March 11th story where they had discovered “mismatched” parts on a Proton. They have also had to replace an entire stage on a Soyuz due a malfunction detected prior to launch.
While it is excellent news that the Russians are now catching these issues before launch, that they continue to have such problems at the manufacturing level is not good.
Their problem is that in Russia they do not permit competition. The government works hand-in-glove with the established players to lock out new companies. Thus, no natural mechanism exists to weed out bad operations. They are trying to do it with tighter inspections, but in the end, that just adds cost and slows operations.
Meanwhile, in a related story, the manufacturer of Soyuz rockets has suspended operations because of fear of the Wuhan virus. The suspension probably makes some sense, as they have a lot of rockets (52) already built.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Do these problems of Russia make you feel better or worse about their nuclear arsenal?
Speaking for myself – better. The unimpressive reliability record of Russian liquid propellant rockets – in particular the recently retired ex-ICBM’s Dnepr and Rokot – make one hope that one reason the Russkies never essayed a sneak-attack launch at us even in the worst days of the Cold War is that they couldn’t trust their rockets to get the job done.
I would think the USA has the best intentions and practice in handling our nuclear weapons of all in the “nuclear club”. However, the book below speaks to our mishaps. If we are the best, I worry about others. In addition, these mishaps by the US point too why we need to keep the nuclear club from expanding…more members mean more places for accidents let alone more places where these things would be used.
In addition, there is the issue of securing these weapons. Even here the US has problems…. The 50 (?) nuclear B61 bombs being held “hostage” at Incirlik Turkey point to an issue of security. The second link below speaks to how we may have removed these in 2109 and how tricky and politically difficult it would be.
The article mentions how these gravity bombs have a disable command code that “fries the electronics” to disable the weapon. Would other countries have such capabilities on their weapons? And even if disabled from an electronic standpoint does this leave the captured weapon capable as a dirty bomb, or as the enriched material for a different bomb.
In any case, nuclear weapons bring a truly new quantum level of concern. And with this I think we need to keep the nuclear club as small as possible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_and_Control_(book)
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30417/u-s-reviewing-options-for-pulling-nuclear-bombs-out-of-turkey-heres-how-they-might-do-it
“The article mentions how these gravity bombs have a disable command code that “fries the electronics” to disable the weapon. Would other countries have such capabilities on their weapons?”
Sounds like the Permissive Action Link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permissive_Action_Link and yes, they do – we even gave some to the Soviets to install on their devices.
In addition to not allowing unauthorized detonation, it has an anti-tampering device which will cause a misfire (“Fizzle”) destroying the weapon – probably rupturing the casing and scattering the fissile material
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fizzle_(nuclear_explosion)