Failure to launch the Soyuz MS-10 and emergency return of the crew

Failure to launch the Soyuz MS-10 and emergency return of the crew https://i1.wp.com/www.eresviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1539288159_Fallo-en-el-lanzamiento-de-la-Soyuz-MS-10-y-regreso-de-emergencia-de-la-tripulación.jpg?fit=230%2C146&ssl=1

The two cosmonauts of the Soyuz MS-10 ship have survived a failure of their launcher and have been able to land safely in the steppe of Kazakhstan a few minutes after takeoff. The Soyuz-FG rocket took off with the Soyuz MS-10 (No. 740 or 57S for NASA) on October 11, 2018 at 08:40 UTC from Rampa Number 5 (PU-5, also known as Gagarinski Start or 'Ramp of Gagarin') of Area 1 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. On board were Alexéi Ovchinin (Roscosmos) and Tyler 'Nick' Hague (NASA), a crew of only two cosmonauts instead of the usual three, who should have joined the 57th Expedition of the International Space Station (ISS). The launcher was correctly raised until the separation of the four blocks that form the first stage of the Soyuz-FG rocket. It is still unclear exactly what happened, but the images reveal some problem in the separation of the same, probably because of the pyrotechnic system. The rocket continued to rise, but 119 seconds after takeoff, after the "escape tower" had been separated, the SAS emergency system was activated and ordered the separation of the Soyuz from the launcher at about 82 kilometers in height and a speed of 2 km / s.

The Soyuz MS-10 capsule after the emergency landing in Kazakhstan. It is striking to see the capsule without the burns characteristic of an atmospheric reentry (TASS).

The SAS system is not only formed by the two main sets of solid fuel rockets that form the exhaust tower, but also includes solid propellants in the cap. When the system was activated the cap had not yet separated and the propellers were responsible for moving the ship, inside the cap, the rocket. Shortly after the service module (PAO) separated and detached from the cap, followed by the capsule (SA). The two cosmonauts made a ballistic descent and suffered a deceleration of about 7 g - a relatively acceptable number -, landing some 380 kilometers from Baikonur and 20 kilometers from the city of Zhezkazgan, paradoxically the same location to which the crews of the Soyuz after returning from a mission in orbit. There they had to wait about 90 minutes for the rescue teams to arrive. Until it was found that the crew was in good health, some minutes of uncertainty were experienced. Later they were transferred to Baikonur, where they will spend a night in the hospital.

The crew of the Soyuz MS-10 embraces their families after returning to Baikonur (NASA).

Ovchinin (left) and Hague with their ship before launch (RKK Energy).

Now the question is how this failure will affect the operations of the ISS. The three cosmonauts aboard the ISS must return to Earth before the beginning of January 2019, since by then the life of the Soyuz MS-09 in orbit will expire. If the cause of the problem is not identified and solved, crew members may be forced to return leaving the ISS unmanned. Do not forget that the Soyuz is still the only vehicle capable of transporting people to the ISS, since the commissioning of the Dragon 2 and the Starliner is not expected until well into 2019. The next Soyuz, the Soyuz MS-11, had to take off next December 20 through a Soyuz-FG. It was planned that the MS-11 was the last Soyuz manned to use a Soyuz-FG rocket, since from the Soyuz MS-12 the Soyuz-2.1a would be used, more modern. Now we will have to find out if the problem is specific to the Soyuz-FG variant or is common to the whole family of Soyuz launchers. If the failure is limited to Soyuz-FG the next mission could use the Soyuz-2.1a, but if it is not, the delay could be longer.

Different phases of activation of the SAS according to the height and speed (RKK Energy).

It is the first time since the Soyuz T-10-1 incident in September 1983 that there is a failure to launch a manned Soyuz spacecraft and the second time the SAS saves a crew. On that occasion the SAS was activated remotely on the ramp due to a fire in the launcher. The SAS can not be activated by the cosmonauts and only works automatically, except in the first phases of the flight and on the ramp, which can be operated remotely. It is also the second time that a Soyuz makes an emergency ballistic descent after the failed launch from the mission Soyuz 18-1 of 1975 (at that time the failure was caused by an incorrect separation of the second stage when the cap had already separated at a much higher height and speed, which is why the cosmonauts suffered up to 26 g). It is therefore the second suborbital flight of a Soyuz - and of any Russian or Soviet manned spacecraft - although it is still unclear if the Soyuz exceeded 100 kilometers at its peak. This has also been the first failure of a Soyuz-FG rocket since its debut in 2001 and its 55th mission. This flight was also the 139th of a Soyuz spacecraft and the 57th of a Soyuz flight to the ISS.

Introduction of the Soyuz MS-10 in the cap. The metal handles that hold the capsule in the cap (RKK Energy) are appreciated.

The Soyuz-FG rocket of the Soyuz MS-10 road to the ramp (RKK Energy).

Comparison of the separation of the first stage of a normal flight of a Soyuz (top) with that of MS-10 (https://twitter.com/DutraWeather).

This failure adds to a list of problems with Soyuz launchers becoming more frequent in recent years. In 2011 and 2016 there were two failures of the Soyuz-U rocket that resulted in the loss of the Progress M-12M and Progress MS-04 cargo ships, while in 2015 a failure in a Soyuz-2.1a caused the Progress M-27M did not reach the ISS. But this is the first time that a Soyuz-FG fails with a manned Soyuz. Recall that, despite having the same name, Soyuz rockets and Soyuz ships are in charge of different companies. The rocket is the work of the company RKTs Progress of Samara, while the ships are manufactured by RKK Energy in Moscow (both companies were born as part of the design office OKB-1 of Sergei Koroliov).

The crew of the MS-10 at the Baikonur hospital (Roscosmos).

From now on we move on terra incognita. This accident will have very serious political and technical implications, but the important thing today is that the Soyuz has once again demonstrated its reliability. An accident that could easily have resulted in two fatalities has left a scare. The picture of the crew hugging their families after their return to Baikonur is the best summary of this short and dramatic mission.