October 15, 2002 6:20 pm

Foton-M No. 1

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Soyuz-U-PVB

Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
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October 15, 2002 6:20 pm

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2026-07-12 08:56:25

Foton-M No.1 was a mission by the European Space Agency aboard a Russian Soyuz-U rocket that failed to launch successfully. The spacecraft’s payload consisted of 44 experiments prepared by the European Space Agency, Fluidpac, BIOPAN-4, Telescience Support Unit, and others. Investigation found that the most likely cause of the failure was debris being ingested into the Blok D hydrogen peroxide pump, cutting off the supply of lubricant to the turbopumps. This was the first failure of an R-7 launch vehicle in the first two minutes of launch since 1988.
Launch Overview
Window Open 18:20 UTC
Window Close 18:20 UTC
Lift Off Oct 15, 2002 · 18:20 UTC
Launch Facility Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Launch Pad 43/3 (43L)
Target Orbit Low Earth Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer Russian Space Forces
Payload Foton-M No. 1
Rocket Soyuz-U-PVB
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship
Foton-M No.1 was a mission by the European Space Agency aboard a Russian Soyuz-U rocket that failed to launch successfully. The spacecraft’s payload consisted of 44 experiments prepared by the European Space Agency, Fluidpac, BIOPAN-4, Telescience Support Unit, and others. Investigation found that the most likely cause of the failure was debris being ingested into the Blok D hydrogen peroxide pump, cutting off the supply of lubricant to the turbopumps. This was the first failure of an R-7 launch vehicle in the first two minutes of launch since 1988.

Height

LEO Payload

Total Launches

Status

Russian Space Forces
43/3 (43L)
Launch Overview
Window Open 18:20 UTC
Window Close 18:20 UTC
Lift Off Oct 15, 2002 · 18:20 UTC
Launch Facility Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Launch Pad 43/3 (43L)
Target Orbit Low Earth Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer Russian Space Forces
Payload Foton-M No. 1
Rocket Soyuz-U-PVB
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship

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