April 21, 2008
TO: ILS Customers
SUBJECT: Status of Proton Return to Flight
I am writing to you with an update of our progress toward Proton return to flight and our commitment to a Proton recovery plan that is not limited to correcting the issue that caused the failure but also addresses comprehensive processes to ensure a credible return to flight and future mission success.
The Russian State Commission has just completed its review of the AMC-14 failure and has released its findings and recommendations to ILS. The cause of the failure has been traced to rupture of the gas duct between the gas generator and the propellant pump turbine in the Breeze M main engine. The most probable cause of the gas duct rupture was due to the combined effects of duct wall erosion, high temperatures and prolonged low frequency pressure fluctuation in the duct. The Commission recommended corrective actions to comprehensively address each of the contributing factors.
The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) will meet in Moscow on 25 April to commence an in-depth review and assessment of the Russian State Commission investigation. In addition to propulsion and industry experts and representatives of the insurance industry, the FROB will also include customer representatives.
Addressing the larger picture of actions, Khrunichev has initiated a broad-based quality initiative. Key elements of the plan include overall assessment and review of the Quality Management System, assessment of changes to increase overall reliability, evaluation of all production factors affecting quality and increased customer visibility into product and process quality.
We will continue to seriously engage all the issues that need to be addressed both near term and longer term to restore the Proton system to full customer confidence and mission success.
Sincerely,
Frank McKenna
President
