Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) yesterday officially recognized: accident rocket “Proton-M” occurred on May 16 due to a failure in the steering engine of its third stage caused by structural defects. The head of the Russian Space Agency, Igor Komarov has promised to take “administrative and disciplinary measures.” They are, according to “Kommersant”, will affect primarily Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBKhA) and his chief designer and general director Vladimir Rachuk, whose contract expired on April 30 and will not be extended.
The outcome of the Commission unveiled at a press briefing, Mr. Komarov. According to him, an emergency situation was triggered by problems in the steering engine of the third stage – the RD-0214 (development KBKhA). Specialists have found that due to the imbalance of the rotor of the turbopump unit significantly increased vibration load, as a result of metal structural members, in particular the rotor shaft, under the action of temperature (700 degrees Celsius) have begun to deform. Once the situation became critical and “Proton” began to deviate from the specified parameters launch automatically triggered command emergency engine shutdown.
Roscosmos convinced that the cause of the accident is not productive and constructive. In this connection, by order of Mr. Komarov developer missiles – State Research and Production Space Center (Khrunichev), Khrunichev and its affiliates – will replace the material of the rotor shaft and finalize the methodology for balancing of the rotor. “This will improve not only the individual parts of the turbopump unit, but also the design, by which it is attached to the propulsion engine – said” Kommersant “the first deputy director of the Khrunichev Alexander Medvedyev Our commission this time did not reveal any errors in the workplace. I dare assure you dig very deep. ”
Mr. Komarov, in turn, confirmed “Kommersant” that the turbopump assembly parts replacement will be carried out at all, including those already made, missiles of this type.
According to “Kommersant”, the ultimate cause of the accident was determined May 27, when the committee members visited the Voronezh structure Khrunichev – KBKhA and Voronezh Mechanical Plant. The head of the Russian Space Agency yesterday said that in the course of the commission’s work in enterprises has been identified “inconsistency in the quality management system will take disciplinary and administrative measures.” According to a senior source “b” in the space agency in the first place such measures affect the general director Vladimir KBKhA Rachuk. His contract terminated on April 30, and according to the interlocutor, “Kommersant”, to renew his leadership of the agency is not going to. “The company has need to change much, but it will be entrusted to another person,” – he said.
Recall that in February of Voronezh police launched a criminal investigation against Vladimir Rachuk of art. 201 of the Criminal Code (abuse of power). Investigators have found that with the connivance of the General Director in 2003 KBKhA land, property and equipment shop industrial gas KBKhA were leased to a local company “Cryoservice” that, by their calculations, the company caused damage amounting to 85 million rubles. However, the excitation of the matter was later recognized by the court illegal (see. “B” of 27 February). “My client did not cause more anywhere and on any criminal cases did not involve” – he said “Kommersant” the lawyer Eugene Piskunov, who represented the interests of the head of KBKhA. Yet another trial, this time under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code (fraud), touched his two deputies, Yuri and Victor Volgin Sasina. The investigation continues.
spokesman Alexander KBKhA Kazhikin said that he did not know that Vladimir Rachuk going to retire. Mister Rachuk, he said on Friday, “I was in Moscow.”
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