Proton-K launched the Astra 1K communications satellite, but its Blok DM3 upper stage malfunctioned and stranded the 5,250 kg satellite in an unusable orbit; it was deliberately deorbited weeks later in one of the costliest satellite insurance losses of the year.
- Outcome
- Failure
- Orbit
- Direct-GEO
- Geostationary orbit
- Payload to orbit
- Did not reach orbit
- Flight
- 34th
- of 41 Proton-K/DM-2M flights
- Date and time
- 25 November 2002, 23:04 UTC
- Rocket
- Proton-K/DM-2M
- Builder
- Khrunichev
- Launch site
- 81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- Payload
- Communications
- International designator
- 2002-053
- Launches in 2002
- 55th of 65
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas