Investigation of space launch vehicle catastrophic failures

The failures of the world's major space launch vehicles from Jan. 1, 1984, through Dec. 31, 199, are reviewed. The cause of failure and corrective action for each failed vehicle are documented, the vulnerable areas of the vehicle are discussed, and the reliability of the major space launch vehicles from different countries in the world is compared. The review provided some of the lessons learned during the last 11 years and revealed that the propulsion subsystem is still the Achilles' heel of the space program. The intent is to pave the way for identifying the critical skills and processes needed to mitigate future space-related mission failures.