Proton Flight History Page 2 of 2 Comprehensive Proton Failure List Date Vehicle ID Site Payload Failure Description Result# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 03/24/66 Proton 211-01 TB 81/23 N-4 (Proton) 2nd stage engine fail - stg1 impact? FTO 04/08/67 Proton-K/D 228-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar Blok D fail (ullage rockets sep too soon) (LEO) 09/27/67 Proton-K/D 229-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar 1x1st stg engine no-start. Cutoff at 97sec FTO 11/22/67 Proton-K/D 230-01 TB 81/24 Zond Lunar 2nd stg engine 4 sec after staging FTO 04/22/68 Proton-K/D 232-01 TB 81/24 Zond Lunar 2nd stg shut down by faulty escape system FTO 01/20/69 Proton-K/D 237-01 TB 81/23 Zond Lunar 2nd stg engine fail 313.66 sec, turbopump FTO 02/19/69 Proton-K/D 239-01 TB 81/24 Luna failed to orbit - non-Proton failure 51sec FTO 03/27/69 Proton-K/D 240-01 TB 81/23 Mars 2M-521 3rd stg engine failure, turbopump, 439sec FTO 04/02/69 Proton-K/D 233-01 TB 81/24 Mars 2M-522 1st stg engine at liftoff-crashed near pad FTO 06/14/69 Proton-K/D 238-01 TB 81/24 Luna failed to orbit FTO 09/23/69 Proton-K/D 244-01 TB 81/24 Luna Blok D fail (LOX valve defect) (LEO) 10/22/69 Proton-K/D 241-01 TB 81/24 Luna Blok D fail (control system) (LEO) 11/28/69 Proton-K/D 245-01 TB 81/23 Soyuz 7K-L1E 3rd stg engine fail 556sec, Fell in China FTO 02/06/70 Proton-K/D 247-01 TB 81/23 Luna 1st stg cutoff 128 sec (bad pres sensor) FTO 05/10/71 Proton-K/D 253-01 TB 81/23 Mars 3MS-170 No Blok D restart (timer setting) (LEO) 07/29/72 Proton-K 260-01 TB 81/23 Saylut (2) 2nd stg control fail 182sec FTO 10/16/75 Proton-K/D 287-02 TB 81/23 Luna Blok D LOX boost pump FTO 08/05/77 Proton-K 293-01 TB 81/24 2xAlmaz 1st stg steering 45 sec (spool/sleeve) FTO 05/27/78 Proton-K/DM 294-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 1st stg steering 87 sec (heptyl leak) FTO 08/17/78 Proton-K/DM 297-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 2nd stg control 259 sec (gas leak,ckt fail) FTO 10/17/78 Proton-K/DM 298-01 TB 200/40 Ekran 2nd stg engine 235 sec (turbo pump) FTO 12/19/78 Proton-K/DM 295-02 TB 200/40 Gorizont 1 Blok DM failure left sat non-GSO (EEO) 07/22/82 Proton-K/DM 307-02 TB 200/40 Ekran 1st stg steering 45 sec (hydraulics) FTO 12/24/82 Proton-K/DM 314-01 TB 200/39 Raduga 2nd stg engine fail (vibrations), 230sec FTO 11/29/86 Proton-K 338-01 TB 200/40 Almaz 2nd stg control system (relay vibration) FTO 01/30/87 Proton-K/DM-2 341-01 TB 200/40 Kosmos-1817 Blok DM-2 control system (relay defect) (LEO) 04/24/87 Proton-K/DM-2 335-01 TB 200/40 Kosmos-1838/1840 Blok DM-2 control system early shutdown (EEO) 01/18/88 Proton-K/DM-2 341-02 TB 200/40 Gorizont 3rd stg engine 540sec (fuel line failure) FTO 02/17/88 Proton-K/DM-2 346-02 TB 200/39 Kosmos-1917/1919 Blok DM-2 engine (foreign particles) (LEO) 08/09/90 Proton-K/DM-2 345-02 TB 200/39 Ekran-M 3rd stg 349sec (foreign object ox feed) FTO 05/27/93 Proton-K/DM-2 364-02 TB 81/23 Gorizont 2nd & 3rd stg engine fail (contaminants) FTO 02/19/96 Proton-K/DM-2 383-02 TB 200/39 Raduga Blok DM-2 2nd burn fail (unknown) (EEO) 11/16/96 Proton-K/D-2 392-02 TB 200/39 Mars-96 Blok D-2 2nd burn fail (S/C control sys) (LEO) 12/24/97 Proton-K/DM-2M 394-01 TB 81/23 Asiasat 3 Blok DM-2M fail (turbopump seal coating) (GTO) 07/05/99 Proton-K/Briz M 389-01 TB 81/24 Raduga 2nd stg eng 277sec (turbopump, particles) FTO 10/27/99 Proton-K/DM-2 386-02 TB 200/39 Ekspress A No. 1 2nd stg eng 222sec (turbopump, particles) FTO 11/25/02 Proton-K/DM-2M 408-02 TB 81/23 Astra 1K Blok DM-2M 2nd burn (blked gas gen valve) (LEO) 02/28/06 Proton M/Briz M 535-11 TB 200/39 Arabsat 4A Briz M 2nd of 4 burns (foreign paticles) (EEO) 09/05/07 Proton M/Briz M 535-22 TB 200/39 JCSAT 11 (4t) Cable fault, pyro fail during 1/2 staging FTO 03/14/08 Proton M/Briz M 535-25 TB 200/39 AMC 14 (4.14t) Briz M fail during 2nd of 3 planned burns (LEO) 12/05/10 Proton M/DM-03 535-37 TB 81/24 3xGlonass M Prop overload of 1st DM-03. 100m/s 4 of 5 Briz M burns. Guidance program [EEO] 08/06/12 Proton M/Briz M 935-31 TB 81/24 Telkom 3/ExpressMD2 3rd of 4 planned Briz M burns failed, leak.[EEO] 12/08/12 Proton M/Briz M 935-34 TB 200/39 Yamal 402 Turbopump fail during 4th of 4 Briz M burns[EEO] 07/02/13 Proton M/DM-03 535-43 TB 81/24 3xGlonass M Rate gyros backward. Fell 1-2 km from pad. FTO 05/15/14 Proton M/Briz M 935-45 TB 200/39 Ekspress AM4R Stg3 RD0214 steering tpump bracket T+545s FTO 10/21/14 Proton M/Briz M 935-48 TB 81/24 Ekspress AM6 4th Briz-M burn off 24s early, 50m/s short [EEO] 05/16/15 Proton M/Briz M 935-54 TB 200/39 Mexsat 1 Stg3 RD0214 steering tpump failed at 498s FTO 12/13/21 Proton M/Briz M 535-46 TB 200/39 Express AMU3/7 Early Briz M shutdown. 1% delta-v short (GTO+) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: # FTO: Failed to Orbit (EEO): Unintended Eliptical Earth Orbit (GTO): Unintended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (LEO): Unintended Low Earth Orbit List does not include on-pad explosion of Blok D stage at Baikonur Area 81 on 7/15/1968. The accident killed three workers but did not damage the three-stage Proton-K launcher beneath. References: Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" Proton Launch System Mission Planner’s Guide, LKEB-9812-1990, December 2001 TRW Space Log 1957-1996, TRW Space & Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA. Last Update 12/31/2021 by Ed Kyle