Roscosmos recalls the entire batch of Briz-M upper stages

Roscosmos will recall the entire batch of Briz-M upper stages, due to a malfunction in one of which the launch of the Proton-M launch vehicle ended in failure in August, the head of the department, Vladimir Popovkin, told reporters on Monday, September 10.

“A decision has been made to recall and conduct a detailed inspection of the entire batch of Briz-M upper stages. There is no talk of selective control; each upper stage will be examined,” V. Popovkin told Interfax .

He recalled that the reason for the unsuccessful launch of Proton-M in early August of this year was a defect in one of the nozzles of the upper stage, as a result of which the fuel line became clogged. “This is a 100% manufacturing defect. The commission has developed more than 20 recommendations related to the organization of technological processes in the production of space technology and its testing at the cosmodrome,” added the head of Roscosmos.

According to him, launches of Proton-M launch vehicles with Briz-M upper stages will resume in mid-October.