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Upper stage broken in two Proton rocket abortive launches planned to be tested third time

The emergency rocket flight on December 5, 2010 was caused by an excessive weight of upper stage rocket DM-03 due to a design error, the second crash occurred on July 2, 2013

© EPA/ROSCOSMOS/HANDOUT

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Twelve Proton launches planned for 2015 — company

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russian upper stage rocket DM-03 which caused the loss of three GLONASS global navigation system satellites in 2010 due to overfuelling will undergo another attempt for a launch next year.

“Two upper stage rockets DM will ensure launches of spacecraft under federal programs,” aerospace corporation Energia, which develops and produces upper stage rockets, said in a statement posted on its website.

According to plans for the next year, an upper stage rocket DM is planned to be used for a launch of a Russian telecommunications satellite Express-AM7 and a new upper stage DM-03 to orbit three satellites Glonass-M.

Upper stage rockets DM are used as a fourth stage in launches of rocket carriers Proton. DM-03 was earlier used only in two lift-offs. Both ended in the crash.

On December 5, 2010, rocket carrier Proton-M with upper stage DM-03 failed to place on orbit three GLONASS satellites. According to findings of the inter-departmental committee, the emergency rocket flight was caused by an excessive weight of upper stage rocket DM-03 due to a design error.

The second crash occurred on July 2, 2013, when launch vehicle Proton-M with upper stage rocket DM-03 and three Russian navigation satellites Glonass-M fell down at the Baikonur space center a minute after the take-off. The rocket dropped 2.5 kilometres away from the launch site.

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