The Hindu : `Laxity led to Brazil's rocket disaster'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 18, 2004

International

International

`Laxity led to Brazil's rocket disaster'

BRASILIA (BRAZIL), MARCH 17. Lax space programme management and underfunding set the stage for a rocket explosion that killed 21 engineers and technicians three days before the scheduled launch last year, according to a report by an investigative commission released on Tuesday.

The report on Brazil's worst space programme accident ever ruled out sabotage but confirmed that an electrical flaw triggered one of the VLS-1 VO3 rocket's four solid fuel boosters while it was undergoing final preparations at the remote seaside launch pad.

The government-appointed commission said it was not able to determine the exact nature of the electrical problem and that further investigation was under way to reach a conclusion

The 130-page report painted a damning picture of the only space programme in Latin America and said decisions by government managers long before the Aug. 22 accident led to a breakdown in safety procedures, routine maintenance and training.

Problems at the Alcantara Launch Center in northeastern Brazil, near the equator, included dangerous buildups of volatile gases, deterioration of sensors and electromagnetic interference — all of which posed serious safety hazards, the report said. Space centre employees charged with maintaining quality control were overworked and understaffed, it added.

``We observed a lack of formal, detailed risk management, especially in the conduct of operations involving preparations for launch,'' the report said.

After releasing the report, the Defence Minister, Jose Viegas, ordered the Air Force, which oversees the space programme, to put in place solutions outlined in the report.

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