Incident: Programming Error Leads to Loss of Russian Meteor-M Satellite.

Published Date: 2017-12-28

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the loss of the Meteor-M satellite due to a programming error happened last month as per the article [66003]. 2. Published on 2017-12-28 08:00:00+00:00. Estimation: - The incident occurred last month before the article was published in December 2017. - Therefore, the software failure incident happened in November 2017.
System 1. Rocket programming system with incorrect coordinates [66003]
Responsible Organization 1. Human error was responsible for causing the software failure incident. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the failure was due to an embarrassing programming error caused by incorrect coordinates programmed into the rocket carrying the satellites [66003].
Impacted Organization 1. The Russian space agency Roscosmos and the Russian government were impacted by the software failure incident as they lost a 2.6bn-rouble ($45m) satellite due to a programming error [66003].
Software Causes 1. The failure incident was caused by an embarrassing programming error where the rocket carrying the satellites was programmed with the wrong coordinates, as stated by Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin in [Article 66003].
Non-software Causes 1. Human error in programming the rocket with the wrong coordinates for take-off from a different cosmodrome (Baikonur) [66003].
Impacts 1. The loss of a 2.6 billion-rouble ($45 million) satellite, the Meteor-M, due to a programming error resulted in financial losses [66003]. 2. The failure led to the loss of contact with the newly launched weather satellite, affecting the communication and data collection capabilities of the satellite [66003]. 3. The incident caused delays and disruptions in the planned missions of the rocket, affecting the launch schedules of the 18 smaller satellites belonging to various countries and companies [66003].
Preventions 1. Proper verification and validation processes during the programming of the rocket's coordinates could have prevented the software failure incident. This would involve thorough testing to ensure the correct coordinates were inputted [66003].
Fixes 1. Implementing rigorous testing procedures to ensure correct programming of coordinates for rocket launches [66003].
References 1. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin [66003] 2. Russian space agency Roscosmos [66003] 3. Rossiya 24 state TV channel [66003]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the loss of the Meteor-M satellite due to a programming error is an example of a failure happening again within the same organization, Roscosmos. This incident occurred after a previous technical glitch at the Vostochny spaceport in Russia, where delays and massive costs overruns were experienced during the launch of the first rocket from Vostochny in April last year [66003].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in Article 66003 was related to the design phase. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the loss of the satellite was due to an embarrassing programming error. The rocket carrying the satellites had been programmed with the wrong coordinates, specifically given bearings for take-off from a different cosmodrome – Baikonur – instead of the correct coordinates for take-off from Vostochny cosmodrome. This error in the design phase of programming the rocket's coordinates led to the failure of the mission [66003].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident in the article was attributed to an embarrassing programming error within the system. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the failure of the satellite launch was caused by human error, specifically a programming mistake where the rocket carrying the satellites was programmed with the wrong coordinates, as if it was taking off from a different cosmodrome [66003]. This indicates that the failure originated from within the system due to an internal programming error.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the article was attributed to a programming error that occurred due to non-human actions. Specifically, the failure was caused by the rocket being programmed with the wrong coordinates, leading to the loss of the satellite launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome. This error was not a deliberate human action but rather a mistake in the programming process [66003]. (b) However, the deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the failure was caused by human error. He stated that the rocket carrying the satellites had been given the wrong coordinates for take-off, as if it was launching from a different cosmodrome (Baikonur) instead of Vostochny. This indicates that the human action of incorrectly inputting the coordinates contributed to the software failure incident [66003].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is attributed to a programming error, specifically a mistake in the coordinates programmed into the rocket carrying the satellites. This error led to the loss of the satellite launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia [66003]. (b) The software failure incident is directly linked to a programming error, indicating that the contributing factors that led to the failure originated in the software used to program the rocket. The incorrect coordinates programmed into the rocket's system caused it to behave as if it was taking off from a different cosmodrome, ultimately resulting in the loss of the satellite [66003].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the loss of the Meteor-M satellite was non-malicious. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin attributed the failure to an embarrassing programming error, specifically stating that the rocket carrying the satellites had been programmed with the wrong coordinates due to human error. He mentioned that the rocket was programmed as if it was taking off from a different cosmodrome, Baikonur, instead of Vostochny. This indicates that the failure was not due to malicious intent but rather a mistake in the programming process [66003].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the loss of the Russian weather satellite Meteor-M was attributed to an embarrassing programming error. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the failure was caused by human error, specifically a programming mistake where the rocket carrying the satellites was programmed with the wrong coordinates, as if it was taking off from a different cosmodrome (Baikonur) instead of Vostochny cosmodrome. This indicates that the failure was a result of poor decisions made during the programming process [66003].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence (a) The software failure incident in the article was attributed to development incompetence. Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin mentioned that the loss of the satellite was due to an embarrassing programming error caused by human error. The rocket carrying the satellites had been programmed with the wrong coordinates, as if it was taking off from a different cosmodrome, leading to the failure [66003].
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the loss of the Meteor-M satellite due to a programming error was temporary. The incident was attributed to human error in programming the rocket with the wrong coordinates, specifically using the coordinates for take-off from a different cosmodrome (Baikonur) instead of the correct coordinates for Vostochny cosmodrome. This indicates that the failure was due to specific circumstances related to the incorrect programming rather than a permanent issue affecting all circumstances [66003].
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is not described as a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The failure was attributed to a programming error that led to the loss of a satellite [66003]. (b) omission: The incident does not indicate that the failure was due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, it was caused by a programming error related to incorrect coordinates [66003]. (c) timing: The failure was not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. It was a result of a programming error in setting the coordinates for the rocket launch [66003]. (d) value: The software failure incident was not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of the value it provided. It was a result of a programming error in setting the launch coordinates [66003]. (e) byzantine: The incident does not suggest that the failure was due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. It was attributed to a programming error in setting the wrong coordinates for the rocket launch [66003]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a failure caused by a programming error that led to the loss of a satellite. The error involved setting the wrong coordinates for the rocket launch, which resulted in the failure of the mission [66003].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence delay, non-human The consequence of the software failure incident related to the loss of the Russian Meteor-M satellite due to a programming error was a delay in the mission. The satellite was launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome with the wrong coordinates programmed into the rocket, causing a loss of contact with the satellite after launch [66003].
Domain information, knowledge (a) The failed system was related to the industry of information as it involved a weather satellite, the Meteor-M, which was intended for weather monitoring and data collection [66003].

Sources

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