Published Date: 2020-01-01
| Postmortem Analysis | |
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| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft crash-landing due to a braking error happened in September [93192]. 2. Published on 2020-01-01. 3. The incident occurred in September 2019. |
| System | 1. Braking system of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft [93192] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. The software failure incident that led to the crash-landing of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was caused by a braking error, as confirmed by ISRO chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan [93192]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) [Article 93192] 2. Chandrayaan-2 mission [Article 93192] |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a braking error that occurred during the Chandrayaan-2 mission, preventing the lander from reducing its velocity as planned, ultimately leading to the crash-landing [Article 93192]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Braking error leading to crash-landing of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft [93192] |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident led to the crash-landing of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft at the moon's south pole, resulting in the destruction of the lander and rover [Article 93192]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures to identify and rectify any potential braking errors in the software prior to launch [93192]. 2. Conducting comprehensive simulations and scenario testing to ensure the software can handle all possible landing scenarios and contingencies [93192]. 3. Regularly updating and maintaining the software to address any potential vulnerabilities or issues that could lead to a failure during critical operations [93192]. |
| Fixes | 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures to ensure the proper functioning of the braking system software [93192]. 2. Conducting a detailed review and analysis of the software code responsible for the fine braking phase to identify and rectify any errors or faults [93192]. 3. Enhancing the redundancy and fail-safe mechanisms in the software to prevent similar incidents in future missions [93192]. | References | 1. ISRO chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan - provided information in a press briefing about the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing and the plans for Chandrayaan-3 [93192]. 2. Jitendra Singh, minister for India's department of space - suggested the launch timeline for Chandrayaan-3 [93192]. |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization | (a) The software failure incident of the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing due to a braking error is an example of a failure happening again within the same organization, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) [93192]. (b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar software failure incident happening at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase was due to a braking error that occurred during the Chandrayaan-2 mission, leading to the crash-landing of the spacecraft. The failure was attributed to the fine braking phase not occurring as planned, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity, ultimately resulting in its destruction [93192]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase was not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident of the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing was attributed to a braking error within the system. ISRO chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan mentioned that the fine braking phase didn't occur as planned, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity, ultimately leading to its destruction [93192]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident in the Chandrayaan-2 mission was attributed to a braking error, which led to the crash-landing of the spacecraft. This error was a contributing factor introduced without human participation, categorized as a non-human action [93192]. (b) The failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission's landing was due to the fine braking phase not occurring as planned, which was a contributing factor introduced by human actions. The failure to execute the planned braking phase correctly resulted in the lander's destruction [93192]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware | (a) The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing was primarily attributed to a braking error, indicating a hardware-related failure [93192]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing on the moon's south pole was non-malicious. The incident was attributed to a braking error that occurred during the fine braking phase, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity as planned, ultimately leading to its destruction. This error was not caused by malicious intent but rather by a technical fault in the software or system [93192]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions | (a) The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing on the moon's south pole was primarily attributed to a braking error. This error led to the failure of the fine braking phase, which was a critical component of the landing process. The ISRO chief, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, confirmed that the lander's velocity could not be reduced as planned due to this error, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the lander and rover [93192]. This incident highlights a poor decision or error in the software design or execution that led to the failure. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | accidental | (a) The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing on the moon's south pole was attributed to a braking error. ISRO chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan confirmed that the fine braking phase didn't occur as planned, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity, ultimately leading to its destruction [93192]. (b) The software failure incident was accidental in nature, as it was not intentional for the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft to crash-land due to a braking error. The failure was not deliberate but rather a result of an unintended mistake or fault in the system. |
| Duration | permanent | (a) The software failure incident in the Chandrayaan-2 mission can be considered as a permanent failure. The article mentions that the spacecraft crash-landed due to a braking error, specifically noting that the fine braking phase didn't occur as planned, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity and led to its destruction. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by all circumstances, resulting in a permanent impact on the mission [93192]. |
| Behaviour | crash, value | (a) crash: The software failure incident in Article 93192 resulted in a crash-landing of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft due to a braking error. The lander and rover were lost during the crash landing, while the orbiter remained operational [93192]. (d) value: The software failure incident led to the failure of the fine braking phase of the lander, which prevented it from reducing its velocity as planned, ultimately resulting in its destruction [93192]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | sensor | (a) The failure of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft crash-landing on the moon's south pole was attributed to a braking error, specifically the fine braking phase not occurring as planned. This error prevented the lander from reducing its velocity, leading to its destruction. This braking error could be related to sensor issues in detecting the velocity or other contributing factors introduced by sensor error [93192]. |
| Communication | unknown | The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing on the moon's south pole was not explicitly mentioned to be related to the communication layer of the cyber physical system that failed. The incident was attributed to a braking error that occurred during the fine braking phase, preventing the lander from reducing its velocity as planned, ultimately leading to its destruction [93192]. Therefore, it does not fall under the categories of link_level or connectivity_level failures. |
| Application | FALSE | The software failure incident related to the Chandrayaan-2 crash-landing was not explicitly mentioned to be related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The incident was attributed to a braking error that occurred during the fine braking phase, which prevented the lander from reducing its velocity as planned, leading to its destruction [93192]. Therefore, based on the information available, it is unknown whether the failure was specifically related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence, other | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - The article does not mention any loss of life due to the software failure incident [93192]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The article does not mention any physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incident [93192]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - The article does not mention any impact on people's access to food or shelter due to the software failure incident [93192]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident resulted in the destruction of the lander and rover of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, leading to a loss of equipment and resources [93192]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The Chandrayaan-2 mission had to be postponed due to the software failure incident, but India is planning to attempt another soft landing in the near future with Chandrayaan-3 [93192]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The non-human entities impacted by the software failure incident were the lander and rover of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, which crash-landed due to a braking error [93192]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident had consequences such as the loss of the lander and rover of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft [93192]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The article discusses the potential consequences of the failed Chandrayaan-2 landing, such as the fine braking phase not occurring as planned, resulting in the destruction of the lander [93192]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - The software failure incident led to a significant financial impact, as the Chandrayaan-2 mission cost 9.6 billion rupees, and the new Chandrayaan-3 mission is planned to be much cheaper at 6.15 billion rupees [93192]. |
| Domain | knowledge | (a) The failed system was related to the space exploration industry as it involved the Indian Space Research Organization's mission to the moon's south pole with the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft [93192]. The incident specifically mentioned a braking error that led to the crash landing of the spacecraft, highlighting the software failure in the context of space exploration. |
Article ID: 93192