When did the Fobos-Grunt mission launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome?
The spacecraft launched on the 8th of November 2011 at 20:16 UTC. This event marked Russia's first attempt to reach Mars since the failed Mars 96 probe in 1996.
The spacecraft launched on the 8th of November 2011 at 20:16 UTC. This event marked Russia's first attempt to reach Mars since the failed Mars 96 probe in 1996.
A programming error triggered a simultaneous reboot of two computer channels which prevented the rocket pack from firing. The final report confirmed the mission ended due to this software malfunction rather than external attacks or cosmic radiation bursts.
Military sources reported fragments fell into the Pacific Ocean west of Wellington Island Chile around 17:45 UTC on the 15th of January 2012. Civilian ballistic experts disputed this claim suggesting debris spread across a broader area including Goiás state Brazil.
The project cost 1.5 billion rubles initially with an expected total of 5 billion rubles over its lifetime. A feasibility study began in 1999 with a budget of 9 million roubles before funding stalled progress for years.
China provided the Yinghuo-1 orbiter while Poland added a backup drill system and Bulgaria included radiation measurement experiments. The Planetary Society funded the Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment and Finland designed two MetNet landers that were removed due to weight constraints.