Proton Flight History Page 2 of 2 Comprehensive Proton Failure List Date Vehicle ID Site Payload Failure Description Result# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3/24/1966 Proton 211 TB 81/23 N-4 (Proton) 2nd stage engine fail - stg1 impact? FTO 4/8/1967 Proton-K/D 228-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar Blok D fail (ullage rockets sep too soon) (LEO) 9/27/1967 Proton-K/D 229-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar 1x1st stg engine no-start. Cutoff at 97sec FTO 11/22/1967 Proton-K/D 230-01 TB 81/24 Zond Lunar 2nd stg engine 4 sec after staging FTO 4/22/1968 Proton-K/D 232-01 TB 81/24 Zond Lunar 2nd stg shut down by faulty escape system FTO 1/20/1969 Proton-K/D 237-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar 2nd stg engine fail 313.66 sec, turbopump FTO 2/19/1969 Proton-K/D 239-01 TB 81/24 Luna failed to orbit - non-Proton failure 51sec FTO 3/27/1969 Proton-K/D 240-01 TB 81/23 Mars 2M-521 3rd stg engine failure, turbopump, 439sec FTO 4/2/1969 Proton-K/D 233-01 TB 81/24 Mars 2M-522 1st stg engine at liftoff-crashed near pad FTO 6/14/1969 Proton-K/D 238-01 TB 81/24 Luna failed to orbit FTO 9/23/1969 Proton-K/D 244-01 TB 81/24 Luna Blok D fail (LOX valve defect) (LEO) 10/22/1969 Proton-K/D 241-01 TB 81/24 Luna Blok D fail (control system) (LEO) 11/28/1969 Proton-K/D 245-01 TB 81/23 Soyuz 7K-L1E 3rd stg engine fail 556sec, Fell in China FTO 2/6/1970 Proton-K/D 247-01 TB 81/23 Luna 1st stg cutoff 128 sec (bad pres sensor) FTO 5/10/1971 Proton-K/D 253-01 TB 81/23 Mars 3MS-170 No Blok D restart (timer setting) (LEO) 7/29/1972 Proton-K 260-01 TB 81/23 Saylut (2) 2nd stg control fail 182sec FTO 10/16/1975 Proton-K/D 287-02 TB 81/23 Luna Blok D LOX boost pump FTO 8/5/1977 Proton-K 293-01 TB 81/24 2xAlmaz 1st stg steering 45 sec (spool/sleeve) FTO 5/27/1978 Proton-K/DM 294-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 1st stg steering 87 sec (heptyl leak) FTO 8/17/1978 Proton-K/DM 297-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 2nd stg control 259 sec (gas leak,ckt fail) FTO 10/17/1978 Proton-K/DM 298-01 TB 200/40 Ekran 2nd stg engine 235 sec (turbo pump) FTO 12/19/1978 Proton-K/DM 295-02 TB 200/40 Gorizont 1 Blok DM failure left sat non-GSO (EEO) 7/22/1982 Proton-K/DM 307-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 1st stg steering 45 sec (hydraulics) FTO 12/24/1982 Proton-K/DM 314-01 TB 200/39 Raduga 2nd stg engine fail (vibrations), 230sec FTO 11/29/1986 Proton-K 338-01 TB 200/40 Almaz 2nd stg control system (relay vibration) FTO 1/30/1987 Proton-K/DM-2 341-01 TB 200/40 Kosmos-1817 Blok DM-2 control system (relay defect) (LEO) 4/24/1987 Proton-K/DM-2 335-01 TB 200/40 Kosmos-1838/1840 Blok DM-2 control system early shutdown (EEO) 1/18/1988 Proton-K/DM-2 341-02 TB 200/40 Gorizont 3rd stg engine 540sec (fuel line failure) FTO 2/17/1988 Proton-K/DM-2 346-02 TB 200/39 Kosmos-1917/1919 Blok DM-2 engine (foreign particles) (LEO) 8/9/1990 Proton-K/DM-2 345-02 TB 200/39 Ekran-M 3rd stg 349sec (foreign object ox feed) FTO 5/27/1993 Proton-K/DM-2 364-02 TB 81/23 Gorizont 2nd & 3rd stg engine fail (contaminants) FTO 2/19/1996 Proton-K/DM-2 383-02 TB 200/39 Raduga Blok DM-2 2nd burn fail (unknown) (EEO) 11/16/1996 Proton-K/D-2 392-02 TB 200/39 Mars-96 Blok D-2 2nd burn fail (S/C control sys) (LEO) 12/24/1997 Proton-K/DM-2M 394-01 TB 81/23 Asiasat 3 Blok DM-2M fail (turbopump seal coating) (GTO) 7/5/1999 Proton-K/Briz-M 389-01 TB 81/24 Raduga 2nd stg eng 277sec (turbopump, particles) FTO 10/27/1999 Proton-K/DM-2 386-02 TB 200/39 Ekspress A No. 1 2nd stg eng 222sec (turbopump, particles) FTO 11/25/2002 Proton-K/DM-2M 408-02 TB 81/23 Astra 1K Blok DM-2M 2nd burn (blked gas gen valve) (LEO) 02/28/2006 Proton M/Briz M 535-11 TB 200/39 Arabsat 4A Briz M 2nd of 4 burns (foreign paticles) (EEO) 09/05/2007 Proton M/Briz M 535-22 TB 200/39 JCSAT 11 (4t) Cable fault, pyro fail during 1/2 staging FTO 03/14/2008 Proton M/Briz M 535-25 TB 200/39 AMC 14 (4.14t) Briz M fail during 2nd of 3 planned burns (LEO) 12/05/2010 Proton M/DM-03 535-37 TB 81/24 3xGlonass M Prop overload of 1st DM-03. 100m/s 4 of 5 Briz M burns. Guidance program [EEO] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: # FTO: Failed to Orbit (EEO): Unintended Eliptical Earth Orbit (GTO): Unintended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (LEO): Unintended Low Earth Orbit List does not include on-pad explosion of Blok D stage at Baikonur Area 81 on 7/15/1968. The accident killed three workers but did not damage the three-stage Proton-K launcher beneath. References: Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" Proton Launch System Mission Planner’s Guide, LKEB-9812-1990, December 2001 TRW Space Log 1957-1996, TRW Space & Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA. Last Update 12/27/2011 by Ed Kyle