A Proton-M rocket carrying the MexSat-1 communication satellite crashed in Siberia on Saturday just minutes after it launched from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The crash occurred about eight minutes after the launch, with the rocket crashing in Siberia's Chita region. Reports say the failure apparently occurred in the Proton-M rocket's third stage, which is responsible for taking the satellite up to a 110-mile altitude. At that point, the next step would have been propulsion into stationary orbit with help from engine boosters.
Data being sent back by the rocket was cut around a minute before the Proton-M was supposed to enter orbit. An unidentified official from Roscosmos was quoted as talking about the problem as an "emergency engine shutdown of the third stage."
The Proton-M rocket is a mainstay transporter for the International Launch Services, a joint business between Russia and the United States. Called Centenario, the satellite aboard the rocket was to be sent into orbit on behalf of the Ministry of Communication and Transportation of Mexico and was built by Boeing Satellite Systems.
The first satellite to feature a 702HP GEM platform for Mexico, the MexSat-1 was a fourth-generation satellite from Boeing and was expected to last 15 years as part of an end-to-end telecommunications system offering 3G+ communication services for Internet, video, data and voice access to terminals across multiple platforms.
The launch was originally set for April 29 but was delayed after Boeing requested more time to test the satellite before being sent into orbit. The last time the Proton-M launched successfully was on March 29 when it took a Russian communication satellite to space.
The Proton-M is a highly regarded rocket but it has encountered a number of problems in the decades it has been used. In 2013, Roscosmos underwent a leadership shake-up after a Proton-M rocket was involved in a failed launch for the fourth time in three years.
Recently, Roscosmos was involved in a failed mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station when it lost control of a cargo spacecraft, which eventually fell from orbit and got destroyed as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean earlier in May.
Officials have said that similar launches will be suspended until it has been determined what truly caused the rocket to crash. The Proton-M fell from a height of 99 miles so it was mostly disintegrated in the atmosphere.
