Update on Russian Federal Proton Glonass Mission Failure

The Proton Launch System carrying the Russian Federal GLONASS mission on July 2, 2013 from Launch Pad 24 failed, resulting in the integrated launch vehicle falling back to earth a short distance from the launch pad.
The following is a status update on several items:

Personnel:
Our number one priority at ILS is safety, and we are pleased to report that all personnel associated with the Astra 2E campaign were a safe distance away at the ILS safety area, and are all safe. Additionally, we have been told that there were no injuries or casualties to Russian or Kazakh personnel.

Astra 2E Campaign Status:
The Astra 2E spacecraft is safe and has been configured for short term storage. The spacecraft has not been fueled. The majority of the team is leaving Baikonur on 5 July 13 and will return after the Russian State Commission and ILS FROB complete their work on root cause and corrective actions.

Launch Pad facilities:
The impact area was a far enough distance from LP24 and LP39 and we understand that neither launch pads were damaged.

Russian Launch Investigation:
The Russian State Commission has been established and will be investigating the potential causes of the failure. Flight and Ground Telemetry was transferred to Moscow and is being reviewed by subject matter experts. As this mission failed very early in flight, the investigation is concentrating on the pre-launch sequence and early flight telemetry data. There are many rumors and much speculation on the internet and through other sources, and you may have your own thoughts and questions as well. The Russian State Commission will complete their work and release their findings in due time.

ILS FROB:
Since the Russian State Commission is still in progress, we cannot reliably estimate the timing of the FROB, but based on experience, we estimate that it would not start until late July at the earliest.

Return to Flight and Proton Manifest:
The schedule for the return to flight and subsequent missions will be determined once the Russian State Commission and ILS FROB completes their efforts and the required corrective actions have been implemented.

ILS will provide regular updates as new information develops.

Related Links:
Investigation into Russian Federal Proton Glonass Mission Failure is Underway