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Cases / Space debris and re-entry · Kazakhstan · 2013–2016

Proton-M crash at Baikonur, 2 July 2013: Kazakhstan’s KZT 13.69bn damage claim against Russia

Nature's voice · report
Roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene spilled onto my steppe at the Proton-M crash site on 2 July 2013, according to Astana Times.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Disputed
Recorded
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 not disclosed · 4 disputed · 2 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Soil contamination at the crash site: Russian and Kazakh samples
  • Government and regulators Russian samples (government commission, 11 July 2013): Crater centre surface 123 mg/kg, stated as 1,230 times MPC; eastern side 8,040 times MPC. Tengrinews
  • Government and regulators Kazakh samples (government commission, 11 July 2013): Centre 527 times MPC; eastern side, about 10 m from the Russian sampling point, 395 times MPC; 3,039 times at 10–20 cm depth; 1,093 times at 20–30 cm. Tengrinews
Heptyl contamination after the crash
  • Government and regulators Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (November 2013): After detoxification the heptyl rate in the soil does not exceed the permissible exposure limit. Tengrinews
  • Government and regulators Vice-Minister Vladimir Bozhko (February 2016): All the heptyl burns and turns into harmless compounds. Informburo
  • Government and regulators Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (October 2018): Thirteen weeks of analyses did not reveal heptyl; no heptyl was found in the recultivated plot in 2018. Informburo
  • Researchers Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution (2021): The day after the accident UDMH exceeded the maximum permissible concentration 8,900 times; in April 2015 UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg. Koroleva T.V., Semenkov I.N., Sharapova A.V., Krechetov P.P., Lednev S.A.

A Proton-M rocket crashed seconds after launch from Baikonur on 2 July 2013 and spilled roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene. Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge from Roscosmos; in February 2016 a Kazakh vice-minister said the talks had ended without any sum being determined.

KZT 13.69bnKazakhstan’s damage claim against Roscosmos
13,690,747,305 tenge, stated as $89.5 million by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources; no sum was determined when talks ended (Feb 2016).

Status As of February 2016: Kazakhstan’s vice-minister said negotiations ended without any sum being determined; no later payment is on record.

What?
A Proton-M rocket crashed seconds after launch from Baikonur on 2 July 2013 and spilled roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene. Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge from Roscosmos; talks ended without any sum being determined, according to a Kazakh vice-minister in 2016. Tengrinews
Where?
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kyzylorda region, Kazakhstan; crash from Site 81/24. Tengrinews
When?
Crash on 2 July 2013; commission on 11 July 2013; clean-up finished late September 2013; claim announced 26 November 2013; talks reported ended 1 February 2016. Informburo
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
  • Roscosmos — Carried out the clean-up at a cost not disclosed Astana Times
  • Kazakhstan — Claimed KZT 13.69bn; no sum determined by February 2016 Informburo
Harmed
Why?
Unclear: the cause of the crash. The dispute concerned compensation under Kazakhstan’s rules for assessing environmental damage. Tengrinews
How?
The claim was calculated under Kazakhstan’s Rules of Economic Assessment of Damage Caused by Environmental Pollution and sent to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel. Tengrinews
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

A Proton-M rocket carrying three GLONASS-M satellites crashed and exploded in the first minute of flight after liftoff from Site 81/24 at Baikonur on 2 July 2013. Astana Times reported that the rocket spilled “roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene”; Informburo (2023) also gave over 600 tonnes of fuel components.

At a government commission meeting on 11 July 2013 Russian and Kazakh soil measurements were compared. Yerkin Shaimagambetov, deputy chairman of the National Space Agency, presented them: Russian samples at the crater centre surface measured 123 mg/kg, stated as 1,230 times the maximum permissible concentration (MPC), and 8,040 times MPC on the eastern side; Kazakh samples gave 527 times MPC at the centre, 395 times on the eastern side (about 10 m from the Russian sampling point), 3,039 times at 10–20 cm depth and 1,093 times at 20–30 cm. About 500 m² of the crater centre was treated, and the full crash site covered about 140 ha.

Roscosmos finished the clean-up in late September 2013, relying on Kazakhstan’s soil-recultivation technology using hydrogen peroxide; the cost is undisclosed. In October 2013 Kazakhstan sent a claim to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel; on 26 November 2013 the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources announced 13,690,747,305 tenge (stated as $89.5 million), calculated under the “Rules of Economic Assessment of Damage Caused by Environmental Pollution” and overseen by a special commission led by Minister Nurlan Kapparov. On 14 March 2014 First Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev said compensation was “taking way too long”. On 1 February 2016 Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Bozhko said the negotiations had ended without any sum being determined; he said Russia had asked for proof of damage outside the cosmodrome zone.

A peer-reviewed study (Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution 268, 2021) reported that the day after the accident UDMH (heptyl) in crash-site soils exceeded the maximum permissible concentration by 8,900 times and nitrate by 85 times. After remediation with 10% hydrogen peroxide and 1% iron complexonate solution, excavation and ploughing, UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg and nitrate at or below 3.9 g/kg in April 2015; soils still had lower pH and organic carbon than background, and microbial communities were “the most vulnerable component”. A Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (MOAP) report of October 2018 said 13 weeks of sampling in Toretam, Akai and Baikonur after the crash did not reveal heptyl, and that no heptyl was found in the soil of the recultivated plot in 2018.

The public group “Antiheptyl” held protests in Astana, Almaty and other cities demanding an end to heptyl-fuelled launches, as reported by Informburo.

  1. 2013Crash (2 Jul); commission compares Russian and Kazakh soil samples (11 Jul); Roscosmos finishes clean-up (late Sep); claim sent (Oct); KZT 13,690,747,305 announced (26 Nov)
  2. 2014First Deputy PM says compensation is “taking way too long” (14 Mar)
  3. 2015April: last soil measurement reported in the peer-reviewed study
  4. 2016Vice-Minister says talks ended without any sum determined (1 Feb)
  5. 2018MOAP report: no heptyl found in recultivated plot (Oct)
  6. 2021Peer-reviewed study on rocket accidents in Kazakhstan 1999–2018 published

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“We are claiming 13,690,747,305 tenge ($89.5 million) from Russia in damages.”

Nurlan Kapparov, Minister of Environment and Water Resources · March 2014 · Tengrinews

“Our Russian partners are now discussing the bill, estimating whether our calculation of damages is acceptable for them.”

Bektas Mukhamedzhanov, Vice-Minister · November 2013 · Tengrinews

“The heptyl rate in the soil doesn't exceed the permissible exposure limit.”

Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, as reported by Tengrinews · 26 November 2013 · Tengrinews

“Our negotiations ended without any sum being determined”

Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated) · 1 February 2016 · translated from Russian · Informburo

“we were somehow unable to determine damage outside the cosmodrome zone”

Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated) · 1 February 2016 · translated from Russian · Informburo

“all the heptyl burns and turns into harmless compounds”

Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated) · 1 February 2016 · translated from Russian · Informburo

“the severest environmental impact in the modern Russian space industry”

Where accounts differ

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

Soil contamination at the crash site: Russian and Kazakh samples
Government and regulators
Russian samples (government commission, 11 July 2013)

Crater centre surface 123 mg/kg, stated as 1,230 times MPC; eastern side 8,040 times MPC.

Tengrinews
Government and regulators
Kazakh samples (government commission, 11 July 2013)

Centre 527 times MPC; eastern side, about 10 m from the Russian sampling point, 395 times MPC; 3,039 times at 10–20 cm depth; 1,093 times at 20–30 cm.

Tengrinews
Heptyl contamination after the crash
Government and regulators
Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (November 2013)

After detoxification the heptyl rate in the soil does not exceed the permissible exposure limit.

Tengrinews
Government and regulators
Vice-Minister Vladimir Bozhko (February 2016)

All the heptyl burns and turns into harmless compounds.

Informburo
Government and regulators
Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (October 2018)

Thirteen weeks of analyses did not reveal heptyl; no heptyl was found in the recultivated plot in 2018.

Informburo
Researchers
Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution (2021)

The day after the accident UDMH exceeded the maximum permissible concentration 8,900 times; in April 2015 UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg.

Koroleva T.V., Semenkov I.N., Sharapova A.V., Krechetov P.P., Lednev S.A.
Basis for compensation
Government and regulators
Minister Nurlan Kapparov (March 2014)

Kazakhstan claims 13,690,747,305 tenge ($89.5 million) in damages.

Tengrinews
Government and regulators
Russian side, as relayed by Vice-Minister Bozhko (2016)

Russia asked for proof of damage outside the cosmodrome zone; Kazakhstan was unable to determine damage outside the zone.

Informburo
Company or project
Roscosmos (via Izvestia, November 2013)

Russia would do its own on-site review of the damage and of Kazakhstan’s calculations.

Astana Times

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Soil heptyl below the permissible exposure limit after detoxification
    Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, November 2013 · Tengrinews
  • No concerns raised by the situation after the crash; monitoring to continue
    Kyzylorda akim Krymbek Kusherbayev, as reported by Astana Times · Astana Times
  • No heptyl found in the soil of the recultivated plot
    Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry report, October 2018 · Informburo

Recorded

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
Kazakhstan’s damage claim against Roscosmos (stated as $89.5 million)13.7bn
No sum was determined when talks ended (February 2016).

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: KZT · Window: 2013–2016. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • roscosmos (27 November 2013): Russia would carry out its own on-site review of the damage and of Kazakhstan’s calculations (spokesman Sergei Gorbunov, via Izvestia, as reported by Astana Times). · Astana Times
  • roscosmos (26 November 2013): Roscosmos said it was ready to negotiate financial compensation, according to the Kazakh ministry as reported by Tengrinews. · Tengrinews
  • kazakhstan-environment-ministry (26 November 2013): Detoxification was complete and the heptyl rate in the soil did not exceed the permissible exposure limit; the claim was sent to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel. · Tengrinews

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2013–2016Outcome not on recordKZT 13.69bn claimed (stated as $89.5 million)
    Kazakhstan’s damage claim for the 2013 Proton-M crash (intergovernmental negotiations)
    Intergovernmental negotiations (diplomatic channel) · International court · Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of Kazakhstan → Roscosmos

    Claim sent to Roscosmos in October 2013 and announced on 26 November 2013; on 1 February 2016 Vice-Minister Bozhko said the negotiations ended without any sum being determined. Informburo

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

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.

Fuel components spilled
about 600 t
Heptyl, amyl and kerosene (Astana Times)
UDMH in soil, day after
8,900× MPC
Peer-reviewed study, Environmental Pollution 2021
Crash site
about 140 ha
Government commission, July 2013
Claim
KZT 13.69bn
No sum determined when talks ended in 2016

What we don't know

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

Nature

  • Disputed Soil contamination at the crash site: Russian and Kazakh samples
  • Disputed Heptyl contamination after the crash

Court

  • Unclear Kazakhstan’s damage claim for the 2013 Proton-M crash (intergovernmental negotiations): outcome not on record.

Accounts

Record

  • None on record None on record: payment of the claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge, or any sum, by Roscosmos or the Russian side.
  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: the cost of the clean-up carried out by Roscosmos.
  • None on record None on record: insurance cover or payout for the 2013 crash.
  • None on record None on record: court or arbitration proceedings over the 2013 crash; the dispute went through intergovernmental channels.
  • Disputed Figures differ: two copies of the abstract of Koroleva et al. (2021) give the day-after NDMA exceedance as 6,100 and 16,000 times the maximum permissible concentration.
  • Unclear Unclear: whether Kazakhstan’s Ecology Code applies to Baikonur; First Deputy PM Sagintayev said in March 2014 that the decision on the Code’s jurisdiction had not yet been made.

Did the harm stop?

The rocket spilled its fuel in a single crash on 2 July 2013; Roscosmos finished the clean-up in late September 2013 and soil was remediated by April 2015, when UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg.

Who paid?

None on record: payment of the claim. Roscosmos carried out the clean-up at an undisclosed cost; Kazakhstan’s claim of 13,690,747,305 tenge ended without any sum determined (Vice-Minister Bozhko, February 2016).

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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