Topal'(-M)/Start(-1) Launcher Flight History (1982-Present) Page 1 of 1: Includes Failure History L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) Topal' Topal'-M RS-24 Bulava** Start% Start-1% Topal' Topal' Suborb* Suborb* Topol'-M Orbital Total RT-2PM RT-2PM2 MIRV SS-NX-30 Total Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980 - - - - - - - - 1981 - - - - - - - - 1982 1(1) - - - - - - 1(1) 1983 3(1) - - - - - - 3(1) 1984 N(N) - - - - - - N(N) 1985 1(0) - - - - - - 1(0) 1986 N(N) - - - - - - N(N) 1987 N(N) - - - - - - N(N) 1988 N(N) - - - - - - N(N) 1989 N(N) - - - - - - N(N) 1990 13(0) - - - - - - 13(0) 1991 5(0) - - - - - - 5(0) 1992 - - - - - - - - 1993 2(0) - - - - 1(0) 1(0) 3(0) 1994 3(0) 1(0) - - - - - 4(0) 1995 2(0) 1(0) - - 1(1) - 1(1) 4(1) 1996 3(0) 1(0) - - - - - 4(0) 1997 1(0) 1(0) - - - 2(0) 2(0) 4(0) 1998 1(0) 2(1) - - - - - 3(1) 1999 1(0) 3(0) - - - - - 4(0) 2000 1(0) 3(0) - - - 1(0) 1(0) 5(0) 2001 2(0) 1(0) - - - 1(0) 1(0) 4(0) 2002 1(0) 1(0) - - - - - 2(0) 2003 1(0) - - - - - - 1(0) 2004 2(0) 2(0) - - - - - 4(0) 2005 1(0) 1(0) - 2(0) - - - 4(0) 2006 1(0) - - 3(3) - 1(0) 1(0) 6(3) 2007 - 2(0) 2(0) 2(1) - - - 6(1) 2008 1(0) - 1(0) 3(2) - - - 5(2) 2009 2(0) - - 2(2) - - - 4(2) 2010 2(0) - - 2(0) - - - 4(0) 2011 2(0) - - 5(0) - - - 7(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topal' Topal'-M RS-24 Bulava Start Start-1 Topal' Topal' Suborb* Suborb* Topol'M Orbital Total MIRV Total Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suborb 90(2) 19(1) 3(0) 19(8) - - - 131(11) Orbital - - - - 1(1) 6(0) - 7(1) Total 90(2) 19(1) 3(0) 19(8) 1(1) 6(0) - 138(12) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- List of Topal'/START Failures Date Vehicle ID Site Payload Failure Description Result# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/27/1982 Topol' 1 PL ICBM Test Missile Test Failure FSO* 5/4/1983 Topol' 3 PL ICBM Test Missile Test Failure FSO* 3/28/1995 Start PL 158 Techsat1/UnamsatA/EKA2 Ctrl sys stopped stg4 12s early, no stg5 start sig FTO 10/22/1998 Topol'-M 5 PL 158 ICBM Test Missle Test Failure after Stg 1 burn FSO* 09/07/2006 Bulava 3 WH SLBM Test 2nd stg failure at startup FSO* 10/25/2006 Bulava 4 WH SLBM Test Veered off course shortly after launch. Broke up. FSO* 12/24/2006 Bulava 5 WH SLBM Test 3rd stg failure FSO* 11/10/2007 Bulava 7 WH SLBM Test Failure during 1st stg shortly after sub launch FSO* 09/18/2008 Bulava 8 WH SLBM Test Bus no sep warheads after good 3-stg flight. FSO* 12/23/2008 Bulava 10 WH SLBM Test Failed after Stg 1 sep. (some say Stg 3 failed) FSO* 07/15/2009 Bulava 11 BA? SLBM Development Test Stg 1 failed after launch from Dmitry Donskoi [FSO]* 12/09/2009 Bulava 12 WH SLBM Development Test Seen spiraling during 3rd stg burn over Norway [FSO]* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: * Suborbital ICBM/SLBM test flights. Topal' totals estimated based on reports in Russian media. N(N) denotes launch data uncertainty during Cold War. % Five-stage Start orbital launcher composed of one Topol' first stage, two tandem Topol' second stages, one Topol' third stage, and one Start upper stage. Four-stage Start-1 orbital launcher composed of three-stage solid-propellant Topol' with one solid propellant START upper (fourth) stage. ** Bulava is sub-launched version based on Topol'-M # FTO: Failed to Orbit FSO*: Failed Suborbital (EEO): Unintended Eliptical Earth Orbit (GTO): Unintended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (LEO): Unintended/Improper Low Earth Orbit Site Code: PL = Plesetsk Northern Cosmodrome, Russia WH = White Sea (Sub Launch), Russia References: Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database at "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" Orbital Report "http://www.orbireport.com" Russian Space Web "www.russianspaceweb.com" Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces Project "www.russianforces.org" Last Update 12/28/2011 by Ed Kyle