A Proton rocket lifts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome earlier this year. Photo: ILS

The Russian State Commission investigating the Oct. 27, 1999 Proton launch failure is making good progress toward the release of its findings and recommended corrective action. International Launch Services expects that the report will be released before the start of the Russian Christmas holiday, which begins on January 7, 2000.

In parallel with the Commission's activities and current engine testing, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is undertaking additional testing of the Proton second stage engines on vehicles already at the launch site, which is planned for completion before the end of the year.

Proton return-to-flight is now projected to be mid-February. Khrunichev and the Russian Ministry of Defense have identified a Russian Government mission that may be ready to launch in this timeframe. The ACeS Garuda 1 commercial mission would either precede this mission or follow shortly thereafter on another pad. Launch processing for both vehicles can be done in parallel.

The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) is expected to convene immediately following release of the Russian Commission's report in early January and will complete its work in time to support the requisite briefings before Proton's return-to-flight. The Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA), necessary for the FROB to begin its work, has been approved by the U.S. State Department.

International Launch Services offices will be closed for the year-end holiday break between December 23 and January 3. However, technical and business management personnel will be in close contact with Khrunichev throughout this period to ensure continued coordination of all the activities connected with Proton return-to-flight.