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Cases / Space debris and re-entry · Kazakhstan · 1999–2007

Baikonur launch accidents 1999–2007: Kazakh claims and the compensation agreed

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
People
  • 1 people died.
    A truck driver died in the 2017 steppe fire.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 not disclosed · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 3 disputed · 2 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Scale of the harm from the 1999 Proton crashes
  • Government and regulators Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov (1999): No ecological catastrophe; the debris fell in an uninhabited zone. Lenta.ru
  • Government and regulators Then-Prime Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (1999): Compensation should be much larger than the July demand. Lenta.ru
  • Press and investigations RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru (1999): Environmental damage from the July crash about $270,000; earlier reports cited about $83,000. Lenta.ru

Russian launch accidents on Kazakh territory in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ended in settlements far below Kazakhstan’s first figures: $60.7 million demanded and $2.5 million agreed for the 2007 Proton-M crash, and $340 million first estimated against $1.1 million for the 2006 Dnepr crash.

$60.7M vs $2.5M2007 Proton-M crash: demanded against agreed
Kazakhstan initially demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); the agreed compensation was $2.5 million, of which $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center (Kommersant, 19 December 2007).

Status As of December 2007: Kazakhstan and Russia had agreed $2.5 million for the 2007 Proton-M crash. None on record: transfer of the agreed amounts.

What?
Russian launch accidents on Kazakh territory in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ended in compensation agreements well below Kazakhstan’s first figures: $2.5 million agreed against $60.7 million demanded in 2007, and $1.1 million against a first estimate of $340 million in 2006. Kommersant
Where?
Karaganda region (1999, 2007 near Zhezkazgan), Kyzylorda region about 150 km from Baikonur (2006). RFE/RL
When?
July and October 1999; 26–27 July 2006; 6 September 2007; settlements reported in 1999, November 2006 and December 2007. Kommersant
Who?
Gained
  • A resident of Gorbushevka — $1,000 paid by Russia in July 1999 Kommersant
Lost
  • Khrunichev State Space Center — $1.7 million of the agreed 2007 compensation Kommersant
  • Insurers (not named) — $0.8 million of the agreed 2007 compensation Kommersant
Harmed
  • Land in Karaganda and Kyzylorda regions — Debris from the 1999, 2006 and 2007 crashes; 2017 steppe fire of about 10,000 ha after Soyuz stages fell Zakon.kz
Why?
Unclear: the causes of the accidents. Kazakhstan sought compensation for debris and environmental damage from Russian launches. RFE/RL
How?
Settlements were reached through intergovernmental commissions; amounts were negotiated down from Kazakhstan’s first figures. Kommersant
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

July 1999: a Proton-K carrying debris fell in Karaganda region. A 200-kg fragment fell into the yard of a resident of Gorbushevka (the village’s name is spelled differently between sources); she asked for $1,000 and Russia paid that amount, while other villagers objected (Kommersant, 15 July 1999). Kazakhstan lifted its launch moratorium for all rockets except Proton. Environmental damage from the July crash was put at about $270,000 (RIA Novosti, as cited by Lenta.ru); earlier reports cited about $83,000. In October 1999 a second Proton crash occurred near Atasu in Karaganda region. Then-Prime Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said compensation should be much larger than the July demand, and Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov said there was no ecological catastrophe and that the debris fell in an uninhabited zone. The Express-A satellite was insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million. RFE/RL reported in October 2007 that total compensation for Kazakhstan for the two 1999 crashes amounted to some $400,000.

26–27 July 2006: a Dnepr (RS-20) rocket crashed about 150 km from Baikonur in Kyzylorda region. Kyzylorda authorities first estimated damage at $340 million; Kazakh authorities later put ecological and economic damage at $1.1 million. The prime minister’s office said the final compensation claim had been agreed with the Russian side and that the accident posed no threat to the health of local residents (RFE/RL, 3 November 2006).

6 September 2007: Proton-M (JCSat-11) debris fell 40–50 km south-west of Zhezkazgan. Kazakhstan initially demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); the agreed compensation was $2.5 million: $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center. A Russian negotiator said the negotiations were very tough and that “we proved some things, not others”. RFE/RL reported in October 2007 that Astana wanted between $60 and $70 million and that Roskosmos was working to reduce Kazakhstan’s demand; Prime Minister Karim Masimov said the situation had gone beyond all acceptable limits. Astana, dissatisfied with the outcome, sought to cut Proton launches in 2008.

For context, in June 2017 spent Soyuz stages fell as planned in Ulytau district near Zhezkazgan; a steppe fire burned about 10,000 ha and one truck driver died. Talgat Zhusip, chairman of the trade union of space-industry workers, said there would be no compensation for the Kazakh side because the drop zone had been agreed in advance. Officials said the fragments contained no heptyl, as Soyuz runs on kerosene; no test results were given (zakon.kz, 19 June 2017).

  1. 1999Proton-K debris in Karaganda region (July); $1,000 paid to a resident; second Proton crash near Atasu (October); total compensation about $400,000
  2. 2006Dnepr crash about 150 km from Baikonur (26–27 Jul); claim reported as agreed (3 Nov)
  3. 2007Proton-M (JCSat-11) debris near Zhezkazgan (6 Sep); Kazakhstan demands $60.7M; $2.5M agreed (Kommersant, 19 Dec)
  4. 2008Astana seeks to cut Proton launches
  5. 2017Soyuz stages fall in Ulytau district; steppe fire of about 10,000 ha (June)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“total compensation for Kazakhstan amounted to some $400,000”

RFE/RL, on the two 1999 crashes · 11 October 2007 · RFE/RL

“the final compensation claim has been agreed with the Russian side”

Kazakh prime minister’s office, as reported by RFE/RL · 3 November 2006 · RFE/RL

“The negotiations were very tough; we proved some things, not others”

Russian negotiator (translated) · December 2007 · translated from Russian · Kommersant

“has gone beyond all acceptable limits”

Karim Masimov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan · October 2007 · RFE/RL

“turning into a regular event”

NGO Nation’s Future, on six Russian rocket crashes in Kazakhstan · October 2007 · RFE/RL

“There will be no compensation for the Kazakh side”

Talgat Zhusip, chairman of the trade union of space-industry workers (translated) · 19 June 2017 · translated from Russian · Zakon.kz

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Kazakh claims against the sums agreed
Government and regulators
Kazakhstan, 2007

Demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); Astana wanted between $60 and $70 million.

Kommersant
Company or project
Russian side, 2007

Agreed $2.5 million ($0.8 million insurers, $1.7 million Khrunichev); Roskosmos was working to reduce the demand.

Kommersant
Government and regulators
Kyzylorda authorities, 2006

First estimated damage at $340 million.

RFE/RL
Government and regulators
Kazakh authorities, 2006

Later put ecological and economic damage at $1.1 million.

RFE/RL
Scale of the harm from the 1999 Proton crashes
Government and regulators
Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov (1999)

No ecological catastrophe; the debris fell in an uninhabited zone.

Lenta.ru
Government and regulators
Then-Prime Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (1999)

Compensation should be much larger than the July demand.

Lenta.ru
Press and investigations
RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru (1999)

Environmental damage from the July crash about $270,000; earlier reports cited about $83,000.

Lenta.ru

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • No ecological catastrophe; debris fell in an uninhabited zone
    Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov, 1999 · Lenta.ru
  • The 2006 accident posed no threat to the health of local residents
    Kazakh prime minister’s office, 2006 · RFE/RL
  • Fragments of the 2017 Soyuz stages contained no heptyl
    Officials, as reported by zakon.kz (no test results given) · Zakon.kz

Recorded

  • 1999: Russia paid $1,000 to one resident for a 200-kg fragment in her yard
    Kommersant
  • 1999: total compensation for Kazakhstan for the two crashes about $400,000
    RFE/RL
  • 2006: first estimate $340 million; later Kazakh figure $1.1 million; claim reported as agreed
    RFE/RL
  • 2007: $60.7 million demanded; $2.5 million agreed ($0.8 million insurers, $1.7 million Khrunichev)
    Kommersant
  • Express-A satellite insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million (property)
    Lenta.ru
  • 2017: no compensation for the Kazakh side because the drop zone was agreed in advance (Zhusip)
    Zakon.kz

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
Agreed compensation, 2007 Proton-M crash$2.5m
$0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center.
Kazakh authorities’ later damage figure, 2006 Dnepr crash$1.1m
Total compensation for Kazakhstan, two 1999 crashes$0.4m

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Kazakhstan’s initial demand, 2007 Proton-M crash$61m
7.327 billion tenge.
Kyzylorda authorities’ first estimate, 2006 Dnepr crash$340m
Sum insured, Express-A satellite (property)$24m
Currency: USD · Window: 1999–2007. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • russia-gov (October 1999): Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov said there was no ecological catastrophe and that the debris fell in an uninhabited zone. · Lenta.ru
  • roscosmos (October 2007): Roskosmos was working to reduce Kazakhstan’s demand, according to RFE/RL. · RFE/RL
  • kazakhstan-government (3 November 2006): The final compensation claim for the 2006 accident had been agreed with the Russian side, and the accident posed no threat to the health of local residents. · RFE/RL

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 1999–1999Settled$0.4m total compensation for Kazakhstan, some $400,000 (RFE/RL, 2007)
    Settlement of the two 1999 Proton crashes
    Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental negotiations · International court · Government of Kazakhstan → Russian side

    Russia paid a resident $1,000 in July 1999; RFE/RL reported total compensation for Kazakhstan of some $400,000 for the two crashes. RFE/RL

  2. 2006–2006Settled$1.1m ecological and economic damage put by Kazakh authorities
    Settlement of the 2006 Dnepr crash
    Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental commission · International court · Government of Kazakhstan → Russian side

    The prime minister’s office said on 3 November 2006 that the final compensation claim had been agreed with the Russian side; first estimates had been $340 million. RFE/RL

  3. 2007–2007Settled$2.5m agreed compensation
    Settlement of the 2007 Proton-M crash
    Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental negotiations · International court · Government of Kazakhstan → Russian side; Khrunichev State Space Center; insurers

    Kazakhstan demanded $60.7 million; $2.5 million was agreed, $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from Khrunichev (Kommersant, 19 December 2007). Kommersant

Insurers

  1. 1999No policy found$24.4m sum insured (satellite)
    Ingosstrakh → Express-A satellite (owner not stated in the source)
    Stated reason: Cover for the satellite (property)

    The Express-A satellite lost in the October 1999 Proton crash was insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million. Lenta.ru

  2. 2007No policy found$0.8m share of the agreed compensation
    Insurers (not named) → Not stated
    Stated reason: Part of the $2.5 million agreed for the 2007 Proton-M crash

    The agreed compensation of $2.5 million included $0.8 million from insurers. None on record: transfer of the amount. Kommersant

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

2007 demand against agreed
$60.7M vs $2.5M
Proton-M debris near Zhezkazgan
2006 first estimate against later figure
$340M vs $1.1M
Dnepr crash near Baikonur
1999 total compensation
some $400,000
Two Proton crashes in Karaganda region (RFE/RL)

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
No court caseKey earnings undisclosed

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
  • Disputed Scale of the harm from the 1999 Proton crashes

Insurers

  • Unclear Ingosstrakh: no decision on record.
  • Unclear Insurers (not named): no decision on record.

Accounts

  • Disputed Kazakh claims against the sums agreed

Record

  • None on record None on record: confirmation that the agreed amounts were transferred.
  • Insufficient Insufficient: published measurements for the 1999, 2006 and 2007 crash sites; a 2021 peer-reviewed study covers six accidents from 1999 to 2018 but gives figures in its abstract only for 2013.
  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: test results for the fragments of the 2017 Soyuz stages.
  • Disputed Figures differ: environmental damage from the July 1999 crash is given as about $270,000 (RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru) and, in earlier reports, about $83,000.
  • None on record None on record: court proceedings; all cases were settled through intergovernmental commissions.

Did the harm stop?

Kazakhstan lifted its launch moratorium for all rockets except Proton in July 1999 and sought to cut Proton launches in 2008.

Who paid?

Russia paid $1,000 to one resident in 1999. For 2007 the agreed $2.5 million comprised $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center. None on record: confirmation that the agreed amounts were transferred.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

Press and investigations

Researchers

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Science and environment

Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.

Law and courts

Arbitration
A private dispute process in which an appointed arbitrator, instead of a court, decides the case.
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