Incident: Rocket Booster Separation Failure Leads to Soyuz Launch Abandonment

Published Date: 2018-10-12

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened on October 11, 2018 [Article 76543].
System unknown
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident during the Soyuz launch was caused by a problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets, leading to the failure of one of the rocket's four boosters to jettison, damaging the main stage and triggering the emergency landing [Article 76543].
Impacted Organization 1. NASA [Article 76543] 2. Russian space agency Roscosmos [Article 76543]
Software Causes 1. Unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets [Article 76543] 2. One of the rocket's four boosters failed to jettison about two minutes into the flight, damaging the main stage and triggering the emergency landing [Article 76543] 3. Higher than normal G-force endured by the crew during the emergency landing [Article 76543] 4. String of problems with unmanned launches in the Russian space program in recent years, including a lost weather satellite due to a programming error and a lost Mars probe [Article 76543] 5. First manned failure for Russia since September 1983, when an earlier version of Soyuz exploded on the launch pad [Article 76543]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to a dramatic escape for NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin shortly after the failed Soyuz launch [Article 76543]. 2. The failure of the separation of first and second stage booster rockets caused the rocket's four boosters to fail to jettison, damaging the main stage and triggering an emergency landing, resulting in a dangerous "ballistic re-entry" into Earth's atmosphere for the crew [Article 76543]. 3. The software failure incident caused the crew to endure higher than normal G-force during the emergency landing, although both Russian and U.S. space officials confirmed that they were in good condition [Article 76543]. 4. The aborted mission due to the software failure incident dealt another blow to the troubled Russian space program, which currently serves as the only way to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station [Article 76543].
Preventions 1. Implementing rigorous software testing procedures to identify and address any potential bugs or faults in the software [76543]. 2. Conducting thorough quality assurance checks on the software to ensure its reliability and stability [76543]. 3. Enhancing the software's fault tolerance mechanisms to mitigate the impact of any potential failures [76543]. 4. Regularly updating and maintaining the software to address any known vulnerabilities or issues that could lead to a failure [76543].
Fixes 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures to detect and address any issues with the separation of booster rockets [76543] 2. Conducting a detailed review of the software controlling the booster rocket separation process to identify and rectify any potential flaws or bugs [76543] 3. Enhancing the redundancy and fail-safe mechanisms in the software to ensure a safe separation of booster rockets in case of failures [76543]
References 1. Sergei Krikalyov, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos' manned programs [Article 76543] 2. European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst [Article 76543]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The article mentions that the Russian space program has been facing a series of problems with unmanned launches in recent years. For example, in the past, Russia lost a weather satellite due to a programming error, and there were incidents where probes failed to follow their intended course or rockets carrying satellites fell into the ocean [Article 76543]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: There is no specific mention in the provided article about similar software failure incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets during the Soyuz launch. The failure occurred when one of the rocket's four boosters failed to jettison about two minutes into the flight, damaging the main stage and triggering the emergency landing [Article 76543]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be seen in the string of problems with unmanned launches in the Russian space program in recent years. For example, Russia lost a weather satellite due to a programming error that caused the satellite to go into the wrong orbit when the wrong coordinates were used [Article 76543].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the failed Soyuz launch was caused by a problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets [76543]. This issue originated from within the system of the rocket itself, specifically with the boosters failing to jettison as intended, leading to the failure of the launch.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The reported software failure incident related to the failed Soyuz launch was attributed to a problem with the separation of the first and second stage booster rockets. Specifically, it was mentioned that one of the rocket's four boosters failed to jettison about two minutes into the flight, which led to the failure of the launch and the subsequent emergency landing [Article 76543]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: There is no specific mention in the provided articles about the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors introduced by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident with the failed Soyuz launch was attributed to a problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets, specifically when one of the rocket's four boosters failed to jettison about two minutes into the flight, damaging the main stage and leading to the emergency landing [Article 76543]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being directly caused by software issues in the provided articles. The incident was primarily linked to a hardware issue related to the separation of booster rockets during the Soyuz launch [Article 76543].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Soyuz rocket launch was not malicious. The incident was attributed to a problem with the separation of the first and second stage booster rockets, specifically one of the rocket's four boosters failing to jettison about two minutes into the flight, which led to the failure and subsequent emergency landing [Article 76543]. There is no indication in the articles that the failure was caused by any intentional act to harm the system.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to poor_decisions or accidental_decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence. (b) The software failure incident related to the failed Soyuz launch was not due to accidental factors but rather a problem with the separation of first and second stage booster rockets [Article 76543].
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the Soyuz rocket launch failure. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident, whether permanent or temporary, is unknown.
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the Soyuz launch can be categorized as a crash. The incident led to the rocket's failure, which damaged the main stage and triggered an emergency landing, causing the system to lose its state and not perform its intended functions [Article 76543]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) in the articles. (c) timing: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a crash, as it led to the failure of the rocket's boosters and subsequent emergency landing, resulting in the system not performing its intended functions [Article 76543].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, delay, theoretical_consequence (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There were no reported deaths due to the software failure incident related to the failed Soyuz launch. The crew, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin, made a dramatic escape and landed safely after the rocket failure [Article 76543]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The crew, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin, experienced higher than normal G-force during the emergency landing but were reported to be in good condition after the ordeal [Article 76543]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted by the software failure incident related to the failed Soyuz launch [Article 76543]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident did not directly impact people's material goods, money, or data [Article 76543]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The crew's scheduled arrival at the International Space Station was postponed due to the failed Soyuz launch [Article 76543]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The failed Soyuz launch impacted the Russian space program and the troubled history of Russian unmanned launches, but there is no specific mention of non-human entities being directly impacted by the software failure incident [Article 76543]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident had real consequences, including the emergency landing of the crew and the postponement of their arrival at the International Space Station [Article 76543]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - Theoretical consequences discussed in the article include the potential risks associated with the emergency landing and the impact on the troubled Russian space program, but these potential consequences did not materialize [Article 76543]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There were no other specific consequences of the software failure mentioned in the articles.
Domain transportation, knowledge (a) The failed system was intended to support the industry of space exploration and transportation. The incident involved the failed launch of the Soyuz rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin to the International Space Station [Article 76543]. The Russian space program, which suffered the failure, is crucial for transporting astronauts to the orbiting outpost and supporting space exploration missions. (b) The incident also relates to the transportation industry as it involved the transportation of astronauts to the International Space Station using the Soyuz rocket [Article 76543]. (i) The failed system was also related to the industry of knowledge, specifically space exploration and research. The Soyuz rocket launch was part of a manned space mission to the International Space Station, highlighting the importance of space exploration and research in advancing human knowledge [Article 76543].

Sources

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