View source for Fobos-Grunt

{{short description|2011 Russian attempted sample-return mission to the Martian moon Phobos}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name              = Fobos-Grunt
| names_list        = Phobos-Grunt<br/>Фобос-Грунт
| image             = Model of Phobos-Grunt spacecraft without labels.jpg
| image_caption     = 
| image_size        = 

| mission_type      = [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]] lander<br/>Sample return
| operator          = [[Roscosmos]]
| COSPAR_ID         = 2011-065A
| SATCAT            = 37872
| website           = 
| mission_duration  = 3 years (planned)<br/>Failed in Earth orbit

| spacecraft_type   = 
| manufacturer      = [[Lavochkin]], [[Russian Space Research Institute]]
| dry_mass          = {{cvt|2300|kg}}
| launch_mass       = {{cvt|13505|kg}}<ref name=laspace_fobos_grunt_sent_to_baikonur/>
| power             = 1 [[Watt|kW]] (main orbiter/lander) + 300 W (Earth return vehicle)<ref name="galspace.spb.ru">{{cite web|url=https://galspace.spb.ru/index244.html|title=Конструкция АМС "Фобос-Грунт" |website=galspace.spb.ru|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref>

| launch_date       = 8 November 2011, 20:16:02 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]
| launch_rocket     = [[Zenit-2M|Zenit-2SB41]]  
| launch_site       = [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]], [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45|Site 45/1]]
| launch_contractor = [[Yuzhmash]]

| entered_service   = Failed on orbit
| last_contact      = 24 November 2011
| decay_date        = 15 January 2012, 17:46 UTC<ref name="space"/>

| orbit_reference   = [[Geocentric orbit]]<ref name="space">{{cite web|title=2011-065A – Fobos-Grunt|url=https://www.lib.cas.cz/space.40/2011/065A.HTM|work=Space 40|first=Antonín|last=Vítek|language=cs|date=25 January 2012|access-date=9 September 2018}}</ref>
| orbit_regime      = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis   = {{cvt|207|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis    = {{cvt|342|km}}
| orbit_inclination = 51.43°
| orbit_period      = 90.0 minutes
| apsis             = gee

| instruments_list  = {{Infobox spaceflight/Instruments
 |acronym1 = GAP        |name1 = Soil molecular composition analysis
 |acronym2 = MDGF       |name2 = [[Gamma-ray]] [[spectrometer]]
 |acronym3 = MAIN       |name3 = Neutron spectrometer
 |acronym4 = Lazma      |name4 = Mass spectrometer flight time
 |acronym5 = MANAGA     |name5 = [[Mass spectrometer]]
 |acronym6 = THERMOFOB  |name6 = Thermic probe
 |acronym7 = RLR        |name7 = [[Radar]]
 |acronym8 = Seismo-1   |name8 = [[Seismometer]]
 |acronym9 = MIMOS      |name9 = Mössbauer spectrometer
 |acronym10 = METEOR-F  |name10 = [[Micrometeoroid]]s detector
 |acronym11 = DIAMOND   |name11 = Dust detector
 |acronym12 = FPMS      |name12 = [[Plasma (physics)|Plasma]] analysis
 |acronym13 = AOST      |name13 = [[Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy|Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer]]
 |acronym14 = TIMM-2    |name14 = Solar occultation spectrometer
 |acronym15 = MicrOmega |name15 = Spectral microscope
 |acronym16 = TSNG      |name16 = Cameras
}}
|programme          = [[Russian Mars programme]]
| previous_mission  = [[Mars 96]]
| next_mission      = [[Mars-Grunt]]
}}

'''Fobos-Grunt''' or '''Phobos-Grunt''' ({{langx|ru|Фобос-Грунт|lit=[[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]]-soil}}) was an attempted Russian [[sample return mission]] to [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]], one of the moons of [[Mars]]. Fobos-Grunt also carried the Chinese Mars [[orbiter]] [[Yinghuo-1]] and the tiny [[Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment]] funded by the [[Planetary Society]].<ref name=amos>{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |title=Phobos-Grunt Mars probe loses its way just after launch |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15631472 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=9 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=Emily>{{cite work |last=Lakdawalla |first=Emily |authorlink=Emily Lakdawalla |title=Phobos-Grunt is no more |url=http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003331/ |publisher=[[Planetary Society]] |date=16 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119031611/http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003331/ |archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref>

It was launched on 8 November 2011, at 20:16 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]], from the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]], but subsequent rocket burns intended to set the craft on a course for Mars failed, leaving it stranded in [[low Earth orbit]].<ref name="noburn">{{cite web|url=https://www.satobs.org/seesat/Nov-2011/0069.html|title=Phobos-Grunt – serious problem reported|first=Ted|last=Molczan|publisher=SeeSat-L|date=9 November 2011|access-date=9 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=vlad/> Efforts to reactivate the craft were unsuccessful, and it fell back to Earth in an uncontrolled [[Atmospheric entry|re-entry]] on 15 January 2012, over the [[Pacific Ocean]], west of [[Chile]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16491457 "Russia's failed Phobos-Grunt space probe heads to Earth"], BBC News, 14 January 2012</ref><ref name="Fox News">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/15/russian-space-probe-to-crash-on-earth-within-hours/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115162354/http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/15/russian-space-probe-to-crash-on-earth-within-hours/|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 January 2012|publisher=Fox News Channel|title=Russian space probe crashes into Pacific Ocean|date=15 January 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200924002649/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/46027901 "Russia asks if US radar ruined Phobos-Grunt space probe"], [[NBC News]], 17 January 2012</ref> The return vehicle was to have returned to Earth in August 2014, carrying up to {{cvt|200|g}} of soil from Phobos.

Funded by the [[Russian Federal Space Agency]] and developed by [[Lavochkin]] and the [[Russian Space Research Institute]], Fobos-Grunt was the first Russian-led interplanetary mission since the failed [[Mars 96]]. The last successful interplanetary missions were the Soviet [[Vega 2]] in 1985–1986, and the partially successful [[Phobos 2]] in 1988–1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.html?pid=39079|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909181732/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.html?pid=39079|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-09|title=Jonathan's Space Report No.650 2011 November 16}}</ref> Fobos-Grunt was designed to become the first spacecraft to return a macroscopic sample from an extraterrestrial body since [[Luna 24]] in 1976.<ref name="universetoday_daring">{{cite news |url=https://www.universetoday.com/89845/daring-russian-sample-return-mission-to-martian-moon-phobos-aims-for-november-liftoff/|title=Daring Russian Sample Return mission to Martian Moon Phobos aims for November Liftoff|publisher=Universe Today|date=13 October 2011}}</ref>

== Project history ==

=== Budget ===
The cost of the project was 1.5 billion rubles (US$64.4 million).{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Project funding for the timeframe 2009–2012, including post-launch operations, was about 2.4 billion rubles.<ref name="preflight">{{cite web|url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_preflight.html|title=Preparing for flight|last=Zak|first=Anatoly|publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com|access-date=26 May 2009}}</ref> The total cost of the mission was to have been 5 billion rubles (US$163 million).

According to lead scientist [[Alexander V. Zakharov|Alexander Zakharov]], the entire spacecraft and most of the instruments were new, though the designs drew upon the nation's legacy of three successful [[Luna programme|Luna missions]], which in the 1970s retrieved a few hundred grams of Moon rocks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nature.com/news/russia-takes-aim-at-phobos-1.9303|title=Russia takes aim at Phobos|work=Nature|date=4 November 2011}}</ref> Zakharov had described the Phobos sample return project as "possibly the most difficult interplanetary one to date".<ref name="mt_prelaunch"/>

=== Development ===
{{see also|Space industry of Russia}}
[[File:Phobos colour 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Image of Phobos. The Fobos-Grunt project began with the feasibility study of a Phobos sample-return mission in 1999.]]
[[File:Phobos Grunt base section model.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Mockup of the spacecraft's main propulsion unit]]
The Fobos-Grunt project began in 1999, when the [[Russian Space Research Institute]] and [[Lavochkin|NPO Lavochkin]], the main developer of Soviet and Russian interplanetary probes, initiated a 9 million [[Russian rouble|rouble]] feasibility study into a Phobos sample-return mission. The initial spacecraft design was to be similar to the probes of the [[Phobos program]] launched in the late 1980s.<ref name="harvey"/> Development of the spacecraft started in 2001 and the preliminary design was completed in 2004.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} For years, the project stalled as a result of low levels of financing of the Russian space program. This changed in the summer of 2005, when the new government plan for space activities in 2006–2015 was published. Fobos-Grunt was now made one of the program's flagship missions. With substantially improved funding, the launch date was set for October 2009. The 2004 design was revised a couple of times and international partners were invited to join the project.<ref name="harvey">{{cite book|last=Harvey|first=Brian|title=The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program|publisher=Springer|location=Germany|year=2007|edition=1st|chapter=Resurgent – the new projects|pages=326–330|doi=10.1007/978-0-387-71356-4_8|isbn=978-0-387-71354-0}}</ref> In June 2006, NPO Lavochkin announced that it had begun manufacturing and testing the development version of the spacecraft's onboard equipment.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

On 26 March 2007, Russia and China signed a cooperative agreement on the joint exploration of Mars, which included sending China's first interplanetary probe, [[Yinghuo-1]], to Mars together with the Fobos-Grunt spacecraft.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Yinghuo-1 weighed {{cvt|115|kg}} and would have been released by the main spacecraft into a Mars orbit.<ref name="Popovkin"/>

=== Partners ===
[[Lavochkin|NPO Lavochkin]] was the project's main contractor developing its components. The Chief Designer of Fobos-Grunt was [[Maksim Martynov]].<ref>[http://ria.ru/authors/martynov_maksim/bio.html Biography of Maksim Martynov]{{in lang|ru}}</ref> Phobos soil sampling and downloading were developed by the GEOHI RAN Institute of the [[Russian Academy of Sciences]] (Vernadski Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical chemistry) and the integrated scientific studies of Phobos and Mars by remote and contact methods were the responsibility of the [[Russian Space Research Institute]],<ref name="ESA_PMR"/> where [[Alexander Zakharov (IKI)|Alexander Zakharov]] served as lead scientist of the mission.<ref name="mt_prelaunch">{{cite news|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/mars-moon-lander-to-return-russia-to-deep-space/447350.html|title=Mars Moon Lander to Return Russia to Deep Space|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=8 November 2011}}</ref>

The Chinese [[Yinghuo-1]] orbiter was launched together with Fobos-Grunt.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2007/05/with-a-russian-hitch-hike-china-heading-to-mars/|title=With a Russian hitch-hike, China heading to Mars|date=21 May 2007|first=Chris|last=Bergin|publisher=NASAspaceflight}}</ref> In late 2012, after a 10–11.5-month cruise, Yinghuo-1 would have separated and entered an 800 × 80,000&nbsp;km equatorial orbit (5° inclination) with a period of three days. The spacecraft was expected to remain on Martian orbit for one year. Yinghuo-1 would have focused mainly on the study of the external environment of Mars. Space center researchers expected to use photographs and data to study the magnetic field of Mars and the interaction between [[ionosphere]]s, escape particles and [[solar wind]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200705/30/eng20070530_379330.html|title=China and Russia join hands to explore Mars|newspaper=People's Daily|date=30 May 2007|access-date=31 May 2007}}</ref>

A second Chinese payload, the Soil Offloading and Preparation System (SOPSYS), was integrated in the lander. SOPSYS was a microgravity grinding tool developed by the [[Hong Kong Polytechnic University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-03/28/content_838049.htm|title=Chinese satellite to orbit Mars in 2009|newspaper=China Daily|date=27 March 2007|last=Zhao|first=Huanxin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hktrader.net/200705/lead/lead-SpaceMission200705.htm|title=HK triumphs with out of this world invention|publisher=HK Trader|date=1 May 2007|access-date=21 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213201112/http://www.hktrader.net/200705/lead/lead-SpaceMission200705.htm|archive-date=13 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Another payload on Fobos-Grunt was an experiment from the [[Planetary Society]] called [[Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment]]; its goal was to test whether selected [[organism]]s can survive a few years in [[outer space|deep space]] by flying them through interplanetary space. The experiment would have tested one aspect of [[transpermia]], the hypothesis that life could survive space travel, if protected inside rocks blasted by impact off one planet to land on another.<ref name=planetary-life>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/innovative_technologies/life/|title=Projects: LIFE Experiment: Phobos |publisher=The Planetary Society|access-date=2 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316100755/http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/innovative_technologies/life|archive-date=16 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/phobosdeimos2007/pdf/7043.pdf|title=Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE): An experiment on the survivability of microorganisms during interplanetary transfer|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref><ref name=Zak_ASM>{{cite magazine |last=Zak |first=Anatoly |date=1 September 2008 |title= Mission Possible - A new probe to a Martian moon may win back respect for Russia’s unmanned space program. |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/Mission_Possible.html |magazine=Air & Space Magazine |publisher=Smithsonian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720153004/http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/Mission_Possible.html |archive-date=20 July 2008 |access-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Planetary Society|url=http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/life/|title=LIFE Experiment: Phobos|access-date=4 August 2008|archive-date=17 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217221528/http://planetary.org/programs/projects/life/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]] contributed with a radiation measurement experiment on Fobos-Grunt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.bas.bg/|title=Проект "Люлин-Фобос" – "Радиационно сондиране по трасето Земя-Марс в рамките на проекта "Фобос-грунт"". Международен проект по програмата за академичен обмен между ИКСИ-БАН и ИМПБ при АН на Русия – (2011–2015)|publisher=Bulgarian Academy of Sciences}}</ref>

Two [[MetNet]] Mars landers developed by the [[Finnish Meteorological Institute]], were planned to be included as payload of the Fobos-Grunt mission,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute |url=http://metnet.fmi.fi/index.php?id=92|title=MetNet Mars Precursor Mission|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019000204/http://metnet.fmi.fi/index.php?id=92|archive-date=19 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Energy & Enviro Finland|date=17 October 2007|url=http://www.energy-enviro.fi/index.php?PAGE=1083&NODE_ID=1083&LANG=1|title=Space technology – a forerunner in Finnish-Russian high-tech cooperation|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317130117/http://www.energy-enviro.fi/index.php?PAGE=1083&NODE_ID=1083&LANG=1|archive-date=17 March 2009}}</ref> but weight constraints on the spacecraft required dropping the MetNet landers from the mission.<ref name="preflight"/>

=== Postponed 2009 launch ===
The October 2009 launch date could not be achieved due to delays in the spacecraft development. During 2009, officials admitted that the schedule was very tight, but still hoped until the last moment that a launch could be made.<ref name=Zak_ASM/> On 21 September 2009, the mission was officially announced to be delayed until the next launch window in 2011.<ref name="preflight"/><ref name="rian_delay">{{cite news|url=http://www.rian.ru/science/20090921/185905786.html|date=21 September 2009|title=Fobos-Grunt probe launch is postponed to 2011|agency=RIA Novosti|language=ru|access-date=21 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Russia delays Mars probe launch until 2011: report|date=16 September 2009 |url=https://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Russia_delays_Mars_probe_launch_until_2012_report_999.html|publisher=Space Daily}}</ref><ref name="spectrum_delay">{{cite web|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/russia-to-delay-martian-moon-mission|title=Russia to Delay Martian Moon Mission|last=Zak|first=Anatoly|date=April 2009|publisher=IEEE Spectrum|access-date=26 May 2009}}</ref> A main reason for the delay was difficulties encountered during development of the spacecraft's onboard computers. While the Moscow-based company Tehkhom provided the computer hardware on time, the internal NPO Lavochkin team responsible for integration and software development fell behind schedule.<ref name="zak_spacenews">{{cite news|url=http://www.spacenews.com/civil/industry-insiders-foresaw-delay-russia-phobos-grunt.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202193557/http://www.spacenews.com/civil/industry-insiders-foresaw-delay-russia-phobos-grunt.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2013|title=Industry Insiders Foresaw Delay of Russia's Phobos-Grunt|publisher=SpaceNews|date=5 October 2009}}</ref> The retirement of NPO Lavochkin's head Valeriy N. Poletskiy in January 2010 was widely seen as linked to the delay of Fobos-Grunt. Viktor Khartov was appointed the new head of the company. During the extra development time resulting from the delay, a [[Poland|Polish]]-built drill was added to the Phobos lander as a back-up soil extraction device.<ref name="zak_bbc_rebirth">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10414237|title=Difficult rebirth for Russian space science|publisher=BBC News|date=29 June 2010}}</ref>

=== 2011 launch ===
The spacecraft arrived at [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] on 17 October 2011 and was transported to Site 31 for pre-launch processing.<ref name=russianspaceweb_phobos_grunt_arrives_to_baikonur>{{cite web |url=https://russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_2011.html#baikonur|title=Phobos-Grunt project in 2011|publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref> The Zenit-2SB41 launch vehicle carrying Fobos-Grunt successfully lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 20:16 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on 8 November 2011.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The Zenit booster inserted the spacecraft into an initial {{cvt|207|x|347|km}} elliptical [[low Earth orbit]] with an inclination of 51.4°.<ref name="psr_profile"/>

Two firings of the main propulsion unit in Earth orbit were required to send the spacecraft onto the interplanetary trajectory. Since both engine ignitions would have taken place outside the range of Russian ground stations, the project participants asked volunteers around the world to take optical observations of the burns, e.g. with telescopes, and report the results to enable more accurate prediction of the mission flight path upon entry into the range of Russian ground stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freze.it/SitpPS|title=We need your support in the project "Phobos-Soil"|access-date=22 April 2012|year=2011 |publisher=Russian Space Research Institute|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824062611/http://freze.it/SitpPS|archive-date=24 August 2014}}</ref>

=== Post-launch ===
[[File:Lancement-Phobos-Grunt.png|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Overview of planned trajectories.{{unbulleted list|1. Baikonour launch|2. First Burn|3. Spent fuel tank ejected|4. Second Burn (Departure to Martian system)}}]]
It was expected that after 2.5 hours and 1.7 revolutions in the initial orbit, the autonomous main propulsion unit (MDU), derived from the [[Fregat|Fregat upper stage]], would conduct its firing to insert the spacecraft into the elliptical orbit (250&nbsp;km x 4150–4170&nbsp;km) with a period of about 2.2 hours. After the completion of the first burn, the external fuel tank of the propulsion unit was expected to be jettisoned, with ignition for a second burn to depart Earth orbit scheduled for one orbit, or 2.1 hours, after the end of the first burn.<ref name="psr_profile">[http://freze.it/PSMP Mission profile] Phobos-Soil project {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824062609/http://freze.it/PSMP|date=24 August 2014}}</ref><ref name=InterfaxNov082011>{{cite news|title=Phobos-Grunt to be launched to Mars on November 8|url=http://www.interfax.co.uk/russia-cis-military-news-bulletins-in-english/phobos-grunt-to-be-launched-to-mars-on-nov-8-3/|access-date=5 October 2011|agency=Interfax News|date=4 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=18114|date=21 October 2011|title=Fobos-Grunt space probe is moved to a refueling station|publisher=Roscosmos|access-date=21 October 2011|language=ru |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402222213/http://roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=18114|archive-date=2 April 2012}}</ref> The propulsion module constitutes the cruise-stage bus of Fobos-Grunt. According to original plans, Mars orbit arrival had been expected during September 2012 and the return vehicle was scheduled to reach Earth in August 2014.<ref name="ESA_PMR">{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/esaMI/ESA_Permanent_Mission_in_Russia/SEMIJFW4QWD_0.html|date=25 October 2004|title=Phobos-Grunt|publisher=European Space Agency|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220065330/http://www.esa.int/esaMI/ESA_Permanent_Mission_in_Russia/SEMIJFW4QWD_0.html|archive-date=20 December 2011|access-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name="PlanetaryBlog">{{cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002738/|date=27 October 2010|title=Timeline for the Phobos Sample Return Mission (Phobos Grunt)|publisher=Planetary Society|access-date=28 October 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128180311/http://planetary.org/blog/article/00002738/|archive-date=28 November 2010}}</ref>

Following what would have been the planned end of the first burn, the spacecraft could not be located in the target orbit. The spacecraft was subsequently discovered to still be in its initial [[parking orbit]] and it was determined that the burn had not taken place.<ref name="noburn"/> Initially, engineers had about three days from launch to rescue the spacecraft before its batteries ran out.<ref name="Popovkin"/> It was then established that the craft's solar panels had deployed, giving engineers more time to restore control. It was soon discovered the spacecraft was adjusting its orbit, changing its expected re-entry from late November or December 2011 to as late as early 2012.<ref name=davidw>[https://www.universetoday.com/91037/phobos-grunts-mysterious-thruster-activation-a-function-of-safe-mode-or-just-good-luck/ David Warmflash, M.D. – '' Phobos-Grunt's Mysterious Thruster Activation: A Function of Safe Mode or Just Good Luck?'' (16 November 2011) – Universe Today]</ref> Even though it had not been contacted, the spacecraft seemed to be actively adjusting its [[Apsis|perigee]] (the point it is closest to Earth in its orbit).<ref name=davidw/><ref name="ItarTASS1122">{{cite news |last=Zubtsova |first=Elena |date=22 Nov 2011 |script-title=ru:Роскосмос признал, что шансов реализовать миссию "Фобос-Грунт" практически не осталось |url=https://nauka.tass.ru/nauka/503376 |trans-title=Roscosmos has acknowledged that there is virtually no chance left of successfully carrying out the "Phobos-Grunt" mission. |language=ru |location=Korolev, Moscow Region |publisher=ITAR-TASS |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref>

=== Contact ===
On 22 November 2011, a signal from the probe was picked up by the [[Perth Station|European Space Agency's tracking station in Perth]], [[Australia]], after it had sent the probe the command to turn on one of its transmitters. The [[European Space Operations Centre]] (ESOC) in [[Darmstadt]], [[Germany]], reported that the contact was made at 20:25 UTC on 22 November 2011 after some modifications had been made to the {{convert|15|m}} dish facility in [[Perth]] to improve its chances of getting a signal.<ref name=BBCNOV23>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15850516|title=Signal picked from Russia's stranded Mars probe|publisher=BBC News|first=Jonathan|last=Amos|date=23 November 2011}}</ref> No [[telemetry]] was received in this communication.<ref name="SF">{{cite web
|url=https://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/23phobosgrunt/|title=It's alive! Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe phones home|date=23 November 2011|publisher=Spaceflight Now|first=Stephen|last=Clark}}</ref> It remained unclear whether the communications link would have been sufficient to command the spacecraft to switch on its engines to take it on its intended trajectory toward Mars.<ref name=spacenews>{{cite news
|author=Peter B. de Selding|title=ESA Makes Contact with Russia's Stranded Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft|date=23 November 2011|url=http://www.spacenews.com/civil/111123-esa-establishes-contact-with-phobos-grunt-spacecraft.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203051622/http://www.spacenews.com/civil/111123-esa-establishes-contact-with-phobos-grunt-spacecraft.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2013|publisher=SpaceNews|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> Roscosmos officials said that the window of opportunity to salvage Fobos-Grunt would close in early December 2011.<ref name="spacenews"/>

The next day, on 23 November 2011, the Perth station again made contact with the spacecraft and during 6 minutes, about 400 telemetry "frames" and Doppler information were received.<ref name="SF"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.ria.ru/science/20111124/168984266.html|title=ESA receives telemetry from Russian Mars probe|agency=RIA Novosti|date=24 November 2011}}</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news|title=Russia's Mars probe starts making regular contact|date=23 November 2011|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45413483|publisher=MSN News|access-date =20 May 2012}}</ref> The amount of information received during this communication was not sufficient, and therefore it was not possible to identify the problem with the probe.<ref name="MSNBC"/><ref name=end>{{cite news|author=Denise Chow|title=Is Phobos-Grunt dead? Europeans end rescue effort|date=2 December 2011|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45529538|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924002605/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45529538|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2020|publisher=NBC News|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> Further communication attempts made by ESA were unsuccessful and contact was not reestablished.<ref>{{cite news|author=Denise Chow|title=Is Phobos-Grunt Dead? Troubled Russian Probe Still Unresponsive|date=2 December 2011|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45529424|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824062655/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45529424|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 August 2014|publisher=NBC News|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> The space vehicle did not respond to the commands sent by the [[European Space Agency]] to raise its orbit. Roscosmos provided these commands to ESA.<ref name="SF"/>

From Baikonour, [[Kazakhstan]], Roscosmos was able to receive telemetry from Fobos-Grunt on 24 November 2011{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} but attempts to contact it failed. This telemetry demonstrated that the probe's radio equipment was working and that it was communicating with the spacecraft's flight control systems.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Moreover, Roscosmos's top officials believed Fobos-Grunt to be functional, stably oriented and charging batteries through its solar panels.<ref name="SF"/>

In a late November 2011 interview, the service manager of the European Space Agency for Fobos-Grunt, Wolfgang Hell, stated that Roscosmos had a better understanding of the problem with the spacecraft, saying they reached the conclusion that they have some kind of power problem on board.<ref name="space.com">{{cite news|title=Time Running Out to Save Russian Mars Moon Probe|url=https://www.space.com/13710-phobos-grunt-rescue-time-running.html|date=22 November 2011|author=Leonard David|access-date=14 May 2012}}</ref>

ESA failed to communicate with the space probe in all of the five opportunities the agency had between 28 and 29 November 2011. During those occasions, the spacecraft did not comply with orders to fire the engines and raise its orbit. The Russian space agency then requested that ESA repeat the orders.<ref>{{cite news|author=Genalyn Corocoto|title=Phobos-Grunt: ESA's Latest Orbit Raising Maneuvers Fail, Re-entry Expected in January|date=30 November 2011|url=http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/258297/20111130/phobos-grunt-esa-slatest-orbit-raising-maneuvers.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701135207/http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/258297/20111130/phobos-grunt-esa-slatest-orbit-raising-maneuvers.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2012|work=International Business Times|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> The European Space Agency decided to end the efforts to contact the probe on 2 December 2011, with one analyst saying that Fobos-Grunt appeared "dead in the water".<ref>{{cite news|title=Russia's Mars Probe Appears 'Dead in the Water'|author=Leonard David|url=https://www.space.com/13846-phobos-grunt-russia-mars-mission-doomed.html|date=6 December 2011|access-date=12 May 2012}}</ref> However, ESA made teams available to assist the Fobos-Grunt mission if there was a change in situation.<ref name=end/> In spite of that, Roscosmos stated its intention to continue to try to contact the space vehicle until it entered the atmosphere.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The [[U.S. Strategic Command]]'s [[Joint Space Operations Center]] (JSpOC) tracked the probe and identified at the start of December 2011 that Fobos-Grunt had an elliptical Earth orbit at an altitude of between {{cvt|209|km}} and {{cvt|305|km}}, but falling a few kilometers each day.<ref>{{cite news|author=Michael Listner|title=Phobos-Grunt: a legal analysis of potential liability and options for mitigation|date=14 November 2011|url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1968/1|publisher=The Space Review|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2011-12-02/russian-mars-probe/51550560/1|newspaper=USA Today|title=Most Popular E-mail Newsletter|date=1 December 2011}}</ref>

=== Re-entry ===
Before reentry, the spacecraft still carried about 7.51 tonnes of highly toxic [[hydrazine]] and [[nitrogen tetroxide]] on board.<ref name=vlad>[http://www.rdmag.com/News/2011/11/General-Science-Spacecraft-Russian-scientists-struggle-to-save-Mars-moon-probe/ Vladimir Ischenkov – ''Russian scientists struggle to save Mars moon probe'' (9 November 2011) – Associated Press]</ref><ref name="Popovkin">{{cite news
|author=Mike Wall|title=Russia Still Trying to Contact Stranded Mars Moon Probe|date=14 November 2011|url=https://www.space.com/13618-russia-phobos-grunt-mars-spacecraft-silent.html|publisher=SPACE.com
|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> This was mostly fuel for the spacecraft's upper stage. These compounds, with melting points of 2&nbsp;°C and −11.2&nbsp;°C, are normally kept in liquid form and were expected to burn out during re-entry.<ref name="Popovkin"/> NASA veteran [[James Oberg]] said the hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide "could freeze before ultimately entering", thus contaminating the impact area.<ref name=vlad/> He also stated that if Fobos-Grunt were not salvaged, it may be the most dangerous object to fall from orbit.<ref name=vlad/> Meanwhile, the head of Roscosmos said the probability of parts reaching the Earth surface was "highly unlikely" and that the spacecraft, including the LIFE module and the Yinghuo-1 orbiter, would be destroyed during re-entry.<ref name="Popovkin"/>

Russian military sources claimed that Fobos-Grunt was somewhere over the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and South America when it re-entered the atmosphere at about 17:45 UTC.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Although it was initially feared its remains would reach land as close as {{convert|145|km}} west of [[Santa Fe, Argentina|Santa Fe]], Argentina, the Russian military Air and Space Defense Forces reported that it ultimately fell into the Pacific Ocean, {{cvt|1247|km}} west of [[Wellington Island]], Chile.<ref name="Fox News"/> The Defence Ministry spokesman subsequently revealed that such estimate was based on calculations, without witness reports. In contrast, Russian civilian ballistic experts said that the fragments had fallen over a broader patch of Earth's surface, and that the midpoint of the crash zone was located in the [[Goiás]] state of [[Brazil]].<ref name=Ballistics>{{cite news|title=Ballistics confirmed the coordinates of the fall of the "Phobos-Grunt" (Google Translate from Russian: Баллистики подтвердили координаты точки падения "Фобос-Грунта")|url=http://ria.ru/science/20120115/540183548.html|access-date=16 January 2012|agency=RIA Novosti |date=16 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Phobos-Grunt Crashes into the Pacific|first=Katharine|last=Sanderson|url=http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4476/phobos-grunt-crashes-into-the-pacific |newspaper=Astrobiology Magazine|date=18 January 2012|access-date=28 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925194729/https://www.astrobio.net/also-in-news/phobos-grunt-crashes-into-the-pacific/ |archive-date=2020-09-25 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

=== Aftermath ===
Initially, the head of Roscosmos [[Vladimir Popovkin]], suggested that the Fobos-Grunt failure might have been the result of sabotage by a foreign nation.<ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/10/phobos_grunt_failure_sabotage/ "Foreign sabotage suspected in Phobos-Grunt meltdown"], theregister.co.uk, 10 January 2012</ref><ref name="msnbc-10-Jan-2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna45943952 |title=Russian space chief claims space failures may be sabotage |author=Vladimir Isachenkov|date=January 10, 2012|publisher=NBC|access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> He also stated that risky technical decisions had been made because of limited funding. On 17 January 2012, an unidentified Russian official speculated that a U.S. radar stationed on the [[Marshall Islands]] may have inadvertently disabled the probe, but cited no evidence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oops! Radar may have caused space crash|date=17 January 2011|newspaper=Sidney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/oops-radar-may-have-caused-space-crash-20120117-1q4ea.html|author=Bloomberg|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> Popovkin suggested the microchips may have been counterfeit,<ref name="Itar-Tass-20120131">{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Phobos-Grunt chips supposedly were counterfeit |date=31 January 2012 |url=https://tass.com/archive/668968 |quote=heavy charged particles of space, which caused malfunction of the memory system during the second circuit in the orbit ... may have been counterfeit |location=Voronezh |publisher=ITAR-TASS |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/did-bad-memory-chips-down-russias-mars-probe| title=Did Bad Memory Chips Down Russia's Mars Probe?|last=Oberg|first=James|date=16 February 2012|publisher=IEEE Spectrum|access-date=30 March 2012}}</ref> then he announced on 1 February 2012 that a burst of [[cosmic radiation]] may have caused computers to reboot and go into a standby mode.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2012-01-08/russian-mars-probe/52457434/1 |title=Underfunding doomed Russian Mars probe, lawyer says|last=Vergano|first=Dan|date=8 January 2012|newspaper=USA TODAY|access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-spacecraft-idUSL5E8CV3TU20120131|title=Russia blames Mars probe failure on space radiation|last=de Carbonnel|first=Alissa|date=31 January 2012 |work=Reuters|access-date=27 February 2012}}</ref> Industry experts cast doubt on the claim citing how unlikely the effects of such a burst are in low Earth orbit, inside the protection of [[Earth's magnetic field]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awx/2012/02/01/awx_02_01_2012_p0-419998.xml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720215550/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awx/2012/02/01/awx_02_01_2012_p0-419998.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 July 2012|title=Russia Places Phobos-Grunt Failure Blame|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref>

On 6 February 2012, the commission investigating the mishap concluded that Fobos-Grunt mission failed because of "a programming error which led to a simultaneous reboot of two working channels of an onboard computer". The craft's rocket pack never fired due to the computer reboot, leaving the craft stranded in Earth orbit.<ref>{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Clark|title=Russia: Computer crash doomed Phobos-Grunt
|date=6 February 2012|url=https://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/06phobosgrunt/|publisher=Spaceflight Now|access-date=29 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Programmers are to be blamed for the failure of Phobos mission |date=31 January 2012 |url=http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/330393.html |publisher=ITAR-TASS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801105206/http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/330393.html |archive-date=1 August 2013 |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref> Although the specific failure was identified, experts suggest it was the culmination of poor quality control,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_2011.html|title=Phobos-Grunt project in 2011|website=russianspaceweb.com|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref><ref>[http://themoscownews.com/news/20120116/189373063.html Phobos-Grunt failure criticized] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910133230/http://themoscownews.com/news/20120116/189373063.html|date=10 September 2012}}</ref> lack of testing,<ref>{{cite news|author=Louis D. Friedman|title=Phobos-Grunt Failure Report Released|date=6 February 2012|url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/lou-friedman/3361.html|publisher=The Planetary Society|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> security issues and corruption.<ref>{{cite news|author=Merryl Azriel|title=Grief and Concern over Russian Phobos-Grunt Failure|date=21 January 2011|url=https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/2012/01/21/grief-concern-russian-phobos-grunt-failure/ |publisher=Space Safety Magazine|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> Russian president [[Dmitry Medvedev]] suggested that those responsible should be punished and perhaps criminally prosecuted.<ref name="Itar-Tass-20120131"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Eric Hand|title=Medvedev: Punishment awaits those behind Russian Mars failure|date=28 November 2011 |url=http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/11/medvedev_punishment_awaits_tho_1.html|publisher=Nature|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-space-idUSTRE7AP0FI20111126|work=Reuters|title=Medvedev suggests prosecution for Russia space failure|date=26 November 2011}}</ref>

=== Repeat mission ===
In January 2012, scientists and engineers at the [[Russian Space Research Institute]] and [[Lavochkin|NPO Lavochkin]] called for a repeat sample return mission called '''Fobos-Grunt-2'''<ref name='Ambitious_Projects'>{{cite news|title=Russia's Ambitious space projects: Phobos-Grunt-2?|first=Zakutnyaya|last=Olga|url=http://indrus.in/articles/2012/02/02/russias_ambitious_space_poojects_phobos-grunt-2_14699.html|newspaper=Russian and India Report|date=2 February 2012|access-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> and '''Boomerang'''<ref>{{cite journal|title=Phobos Sample Return: Next Approach|journal=40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly|first1=Zelenyi|last1=Lev|first2=Martynov|last2=Maxim|first3=Zakharov|last3=Alexander|first4=Korablev|last4=Oleg|first5=Ivanov|last5=Alexey|first6=Karabadzak|last6=George|date=1 July 2018 |volume=40|pages=B0.4–10–14|bibcode=2014cosp...40E3769Z}}</ref><ref>[https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2013/10/16/Russia-to-make-another-attempt-to-bring-back-Mars-moon-material/90221381962984/ Russia to make another attempt to bring back Mars moon material] 16 October 2013</ref> for launch in 2020.<ref name="Fobos-Grunt 2 launch in 2020">{{cite news|title="Phobos-Grunt-2" can be launched in 2020, says the head of IKI|url=http://www.ria.ru/science/20120425/635026363.html|agency=RIA Novosti|date=25 April 2012|access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="RAS offer accepted">{{cite news|title=Federal Space Agency accepted the offer to renew the RAS Project "Phobos-Grunt"|url=http://www.interfax.ru/news.asp?id=240265|publisher=Interfax.ru|date=10 April 2012|language=ru|access-date=15 April 2012}}</ref> Popovkin declared that they would soon attempt to repeat the Fobos-Grunt mission, if an agreement was not reached for Russian co-operation in the [[European Space Agency]]'s [[ExoMars]] program.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} However, since an agreement was reached for the inclusion of Russia as a full project partner,<ref name='still keen'>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Amos|title=Europe still keen on Mars missions|date=15 March 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17390576|publisher=BBC News|access-date=16 March 2012}}</ref> some instruments originally developed for Fobos-Grunt were flown in the [[ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Federal Space Agency is going to repeat the project "Phobos-Grunt"|url=http://www.news.nashbryansk.ru/2012/04/19/chronicles/povtorit-fobos-grunt/|newspaper=RBC|date=19 April 2012|access-date=20 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510163325/http://www.news.nashbryansk.ru/2012/04/19/chronicles/povtorit-fobos-grunt/|archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref>

On 2 August 2014, the [[Russian Academy of Sciences]] stated that the Phobos-Grunt repeat mission might be restarted for a launch approximately in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |url=https://tass.com/non-political/743326 |title=Russia to focus on Moon, Mars exploration, repeat Phobos-Grunt mission |location=Moscow |publisher=ITAR–TASS |date=2 August 2014 |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name="repeat 2023">{{cite news |url=http://en.ria.ru/society/20141003/193618355/Russia-May-Send-Repeat-Mission-to-Martian-Moon-Phobos-in-2023.html|title=Russia May Send Repeat Mission to Martian Moon Phobos in 2023|agency=RIA Novosti|date=3 October 2014|access-date=5 October 2014}}</ref> In August 2015, the [[ESA]]-[[Roscosmos]] working group on post-[[ExoMars]] cooperation, completed a joint study for a possible future Phobos sample return mission, preliminary discussions were held,<ref name="Roscosmos 2015">{{cite news|url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Exhibitions/ESA_at_MAKS_2015|title=ESA at MAKS 2015|location=Zhukovsky, Russia|publisher=[[European Space Agency|ESA]]|access-date=22 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="PS 2014">{{cite news|last=Kane|first=Van|url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/van-kane/20140609-a-checkup-on-future-mars-missions.html|title=A Checkup on Future Mars Missions|publisher=The Planetary Society|date=9 June 2014|access-date=22 December 2015}}</ref> and in May 2015 the Russian Academy of Sciences submitted a budget proposal.<ref name="Roscosmos 2015"/><ref name=Zak_FG2>{{cite web |last=Zak |first=Anatoly |url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt2.html |title=Phobos-Grunt-2 |work=RussianSpaceWeb |date=8 October 2015 |access-date=9 Nov 2025}}</ref>

As of September 2023, Roscosmos intended to launch Boomerang "after 2030".<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |url=https://tass.com/russia/1668971 |title=Russia may launch mission to deliver soil from Mars moon after 2030 |publisher=ITAR-TASS |date=2 September 2023 |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref>

Boomerang is intended to be the first stage of the Russian [[Mars sample return mission]] called [[Mars-Grunt]].<ref name=Zak_FG2/><ref name=Mars-Grunt>{{cite news|author=Ilya Kramnik|title=Russia takes a two-pronged approach to space exploration|date=18 April 2012|url=http://indrus.in/articles/2012/04/18/russia_takes_a_two-pronged_approach_to_space_exploration_15511.html|publisher=Russia & India Report|access-date=18 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Dwayne A. Day|title=Red Planet blues|date=28 November 2011|url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1980/1|publisher=The Space Review|access-date=18 April 2012}}</ref> This Mars sample-return mission would be developed from the technologies demonstrated by Fobos-Grunt-2.<ref name=Zak_FG2/>

== Objectives ==
Fobos-Grunt was an intended interplanetary probe that included a lander to study Phobos and a sample return vehicle to return a sample of about {{cvt|200|g}} of soil to [[Earth]].<ref name=laspace_fobos_grunt_sent_to_baikonur>[http://www.laspace.ru/rus/news.php#403 Fobos-Grunt sent to Baikonur] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019135524/http://www.laspace.ru/rus/news.php#403 |date=19 October 2011}} {{in lang|ru}}</ref> It was also to study Mars from orbit, including its [[Atmosphere of Mars|atmosphere]] and dust storms, plasma and radiation.

;Science goals
* Delivery of samples of Phobos soil to Earth for scientific research of Phobos, Mars and Martian vicinity;
* ''[[In situ]]'' and remote studies of Phobos (to include analysis of soil samples);
* Monitoring the atmospheric behavior of Mars, including the dynamics of dust storms;
* Studies of the vicinity of Mars, including its radiation environment, [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] and dust;<ref name="ESA_PMR"/>
* Study of the origin of the Martian moons and their relation to Mars;
* Study of the role played by asteroid impacts in the formation of terrestrial planets;
* Search for possible past or present life ([[biosignature]]s);<ref>{{cite conference |last=Korablev |first=O |date=23 September 2003 |title=Russian programme for deep space exploration |conference=IAA-ESA Workshop, The Next Steps in Exploring Deep Space |location=ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands |url=http://sci2.esa.int/nextstep/RussianProgram.pdf |publisher=Space Research Institute (IKI)|page=14|access-date=3 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129104640/http://sci2.esa.int/nextstep/RussianProgram.pdf|archive-date=29 November 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Study of the impact of a three-year interplanetary round-trip journey on [[extremophile]] microorganisms in a small sealed capsule ([[Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment|LIFE experiment]]).<ref>{{cite web |publisher=The Planetary Society|url=http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/innovative_technologies/life/organisms.html|title=Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment (LIFE)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120141404/http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/innovative_technologies/life/organisms.html|archive-date=20 January 2011}}</ref>

==Payload==
[[File:Model of the Phobos-Grunt russian probe P1110972.jpg|thumb|right|250px|'''Modules''' -- A: lander, B: return module, C: reentry vehicle (not shown). '''Major components''' -- 1: solar panels, 2: reaction wheels, 3: landing gear, 4: robotic sample arm (second arm not shown), 6: sample transfer container, 7: attitude control thrusters, 8 and 10: fuel and helium tanks, 9: return module solar panels. '''Scientific instruments''' (some instruments are not visible from this angle or are not present on the model) -- a: TERMOFOB thermodetector, b: GRAS-F seismogravimeter; c: Meteor-F cosmic dust detector, d: GAP (Gas Analytic Package) pyrolizer/thermal-differential analyzer, e: GAP gas chromatograph; f: GAP mass spectrometer, g: LAZMA mass spectrometer, h: MANAGA-F mass spectrometer, i: FPMS plasma complex]]
*TV system for navigation and guidance (TSNN)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iki.rssi.ru/innov/eng/fg22.htm|title=Optico-electronic Instruments for the Phobos-Grunt Mission |publisher=Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences|access-date=20 July 2009}}</ref>
*Stereo camera pair
*Manipulator 1, with:
**Panoramic camera
**MicrOmega visible microscope<ref name="harvey"/>
**Mössbauer Spectrometer (MIMOS-II)<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1134/S0038094610050023 |title=The miniaturized Möessbauer spectrometer MIMOS II for the Phobos-Grunt mission |date=2010 |last1=Rodionov |first1=D. S. |last2=Klingelhoefer |first2=G. |last3=Evlanov |first3=E. N. |last4=Blumers |first4=M. |last5=Bernhardt |first5=B. |last6=Gironés |first6=J. |last7=Maul |first7=J. |last8=Fleischer |first8=I. |last9=Prilutskii |first9=O. F. |last10=Shlyk |first10=A. F. |last11=Linkin |first11=V. M. |last12=d'Uston |first12=C. |journal=Solar System Research |volume=44 |issue=5 |pages=362–370 |bibcode=2010SoSyR..44..362R }}</ref>
**Drill sampler (GZU)
*Manipulator 2, with:
**Panoramic camera 2
**Drill sampler (GZU 2)
**Penetration sampler (GZUP Chomik)<ref>{{Citation |last1=Grygorczuk |first1=J. |last2=Dobrowolski |first2=M. |last3=Wisniewski |first3=L. |display-authors=etal |contribution=Advanced Mechanisms and Tribological Tests of the Hammering Sampling Device Chomik |contribution-url=https://esmats.eu/esmatspapers/pastpapers/pdfs/2011/grygorczuk.pdf |title=14th European Space Mechanisms & Tribology Symposium – ESMATS |date=28–30 September 2011 |pages=271–278 |place=Constance, Germany |publisher=ESA}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1134/S0038094614040091 |title=CHOMIK: A multi-method approach for studying Phobos |date=2014 |last1=Rickman |first1=H. |last2=Słaby |first2=E. |last3=Gurgurewicz |first3=J. |last4=Śmigielski |first4=M. |last5=Banaszkiewicz |first5=M. |last6=Grygorczuk |first6=J. |last7=Morawski |first7=M. |last8=Seweryn |first8=K. |last9=Wawrzaszek |first9=R. |journal=Solar System Research |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=279–286 |bibcode=2014SoSyR..48..279R }}</ref>
*MicrOmega near-infrared microscope<ref>{{cite journal |bibcode=2011LPI....42.1930P |title=MicrOmega: An IR Hyperspectral Microscope for the Phobos Grunt Lander |last1=Pilorget |first1=C. |last2=Bibring |first2=J. -P. |last3=Berthe |first3=M. |journal=42nd Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference |date=2011 |issue=1608 |page=1930 }}</ref>
*Gas Analysis Package:<ref name="esa_spacecraft"/>
**Thermal Differential Analyzer (TDA)
**Gas-Chromatograph (KhMS-1F)
**Mass-Spectrometer (MAL-1F)
*Gamma ray spectrometer (FOGS)<ref name="harvey"/>
*Neutron &amp; γ-ray spectrometer (NS HEND)<ref name="harvey"/>
*Laser Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (LAZMA)
*Thermal Detector (TERMOFOB)
*Fourier Spectrometer (AOST)<ref name=korablev>{{cite web |bibcode=2011mamo.conf..469K |date=2011 |title=Observations of the Martian atmosphere from Phobos Grunt Mission |last1=Korablev |first1=O. I. |last2=Zakharov |first2=A. V. |last3=Zelenyi |first3=L. M. |last4=Grigoriev |first4=A. V. |last5=Trokhimovsky |first5=A. |last6=Montmessin |first6=F. |url=https://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/paris2011/abstracts/korablev_paris2011.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1364/JOT.76.000316 |title=The AOST miniature Fourier spectrometer for space studies |date=2009 |last1=Korablev |first1=O. I. |last2=Grigoriev |first2=A. V. |last3=Moshkin |first3=B. E. |last4=Patsaev |first4=D. V. |last5=Makarov |first5=V. S. |last6=Maksimenko |first6=S. V. |last7=Grechnev |first7=K. V. |last8=Kotlov |first8=V. I. |last9=Zasova |first9=L. V. |last10=Shakun |first10=A. V. |last11=Fedorova |first11=A. A. |last12=Terentiev |first12=A. I. |last13=Ekonomov |first13=A. P. |last14=Khatuntsev |first14=I. V. |last15=Mayorov |first15=B. S. |last16=Nikolsky |first16=Yu. V. |last17=Maslov |first17=I. A. |last18=Gvozdev |first18=A. B. |last19=Montmessin |first19=F. |last20=Kuzmin |first20=R. O. |journal=Journal of Optical Technology |volume=76 |issue=5 |page=316 }}</ref>
*Echelle Spectrometer (TIMM-2)<ref name=korablev/><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1364/AO.52.001054 |title=Compact echelle spectrometer for occultation sounding of the Martian atmosphere: Design and performance |date=2013 |last1=Korablev |first1=Oleg |last2=Montmessin |first2=Franck |last3=Trokhimovsky |first3=Alexander |last4=Fedorova |first4=Anna A. |last5=Kiselev |first5=Alexander V. |last6=Bertaux |first6=Jean-Loup |last7=Goultail |first7=Jean-Pierre |last8=Belyaev |first8=Denis A. |last9=Stepanov |first9=Alexander V. |last10=Titov |first10=Andrei Yu. |last11=Kalinnikov |first11=Yurii K. |journal=Applied Optics |volume=52 |issue=5 |pages=1054–1065 |pmid=23400068 |bibcode=2013ApOpt..52.1054K }}</ref>
*Seismogravimeter (GRAS-F)
*Seismometer (SEISMO)<ref name="harvey"/>
*Long-wave radar (DPR)<ref name="harvey"/>
*Dust counter (Meteor-F)<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1134/S0038094610051016 |title=Meteor-F detector of space dust |date=2011 |last1=Vysochkin |first1=V. V. |last2=Korolev |first2=S. A. |last3=Andreenkov |first3=V. B. |journal=Solar System Research |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=80–83 |bibcode=2011SoSyR..45...80V }}</ref>
*Dosimeter (Liulin-F)
*Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (MANAGA-F)<ref name="harvey"/>
*Optical solar & star sensor (LIBRATsIYa)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arc.iki.rssi.ru/ofo/page_osd_e.html|title=Optical Solar Sensor|publisher=Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences|access-date=20 July 2009|archive-date=19 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719073251/http://arc.iki.rssi.ru/ofo/page_osd_e.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Plasma Complex (FPMS)
**Fluxgate magnetometer (DFM)
**Inductive magnetic sensor (KVD)
**Ion mass spectrometer (DIM)<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1002/2016JA022799 |title=A family for miniature, easily reconfigurable particle sensors for space plasma measurements |date=2016 |last1=Wieser |first1=M. |last2=Barabash |first2=S. |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics |volume=121 |issue=12 |bibcode=2016JGRA..12111588W }}</ref>
**Ion mass spectrometer (DI)
*Ultrastable Oscillator (USO1)
*Ionospheric parameters experiment together with Yinghuo-1 (YH-1) spacecraft (MROE)
*BioPhobos/Anabioz
*BioPhobos/LIFE (Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment)

===Mass summary ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spacecraft components !! Mass
|-
| '''Lander sample capsule''' || '''{{cvt|7|kg}}'''
|-
| '''Earth return vehicle (tot.):''' || '''{{cvt|287|kg}}'''
|-
| -Propellant ''(for trans-Earth injection maneuvers)'' || {{cvt|139|kg}}
|-
| -Dry mass || {{cvt|148|kg}}
|-
| '''Orbiter/lander instrument compartment''' || '''{{cvt|550|kg}}'''
|-
| '''Orbiter/lander (tot.):''' || '''{{cvt|1270|kg}}'''
|-
| -Propellant ''(for Phobos rendezvous and landing)'' || {{cvt|1058|kg}}
|-
| -Dry mass || {{cvt|212|kg}}
|-
| '''Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo/MPU truss adapter''' || '''{{cvt|150|kg}}'''
|-
| '''"Yinghuo 1" subsatellite''' || '''{{cvt|115|kg}}'''
|-
| '''Main propulsion unit (MPU) stage''', excluding external propellant tank: || '''{{cvt|7750|kg}}'''
|-
| -Propellant ''(for trans-Mars injection burn and initial {{cvt|800|x|75900|km}} Mars orbit insertion)'' || {{cvt|7015|kg}}
|-
| -Dry mass|| {{cvt|735|kg}}
|-
| '''External propellant tank:''' || '''{{cvt|3376|kg}}'''
|-
| -Propellant ''(for {{cvt|250|x|4710|km}} Earth parking orbit insertion)'' || {{cvt|3001|kg}}
|-
| -Dry mass || {{cvt|375|kg}}
|-
| '''Total mass''' || '''{{cvt|13505|kg}}'''<ref name="galspace.spb.ru"/>
|}

== Mission plan ==
=== Journey ===
The spacecraft's journey to Mars would take about ten months. After arriving in Mars orbit, the main propulsion unit and the transfer truss would separate and the Chinese Mars orbiter would be released. Fobos-Grunt would then spend several months studying the planet and its moons from orbit, before landing on [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]]. It was imperative to prevent the introduction to Mars of contaminants from Earth; according to Fobos-Grunt Chief Designer [[Maksim Martynov]], the probability of the probe accidentally reaching the surface of Mars was much lower than the maximum specified for Category III missions, the type assigned to Fobos-Grunt and defined in [[COSPAR]]'s [[planetary protection]] policy (in accordance with [[wikisource:Outer Space Treaty of 1967#Article IX|Article IX]] of the Outer Space Treaty).<ref name=rian_martynov_answers>{{cite web|url=http://ria.ru/online/456770097.html|title=Russia resumes missions to outer space: what is after Phobos?|language=ru}}</ref><ref name=cospar_ppp>{{cite web |url=http://cosparhq.cnes.fr/Scistr/Pppolicy.htm|title=COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy|access-date=3 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126114737/http://cosparhq.cnes.fr/Scistr/Pppolicy.htm|archive-date=26 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Manoeuvres-de-Phobos-Grunt autour de Mars.png|thumb|center|450px|Phobos-Grunt around [[Mars]]: (1) Arrival of Phobos-Grunt, (2) Insertion maneuver in orbit around Mars, (3) Drop of the [[Fregat]] stage and separation of the probe and Yinghuo-1, (4) Maneuver for to raise the [[periapsis]], (5) Yinghuo 1 starts his mission on the first orbit, (6) Maneuver to place himself in an orbit close to that of Phobos; (A) Orbit of Phobos, (B) Orbit of insertion of Phobos-Grunt and [[Yinghuo-1]], (C) Orbit with raised periapsis, (D) [[Quasi-synchronous]] orbit with Phobos.]]

=== On Phobos ===
[[File:HRSC’s zoom in on Phobos-Grunt landing site ESA232703.tiff|thumb|Proposed landing sites, photo by [[Mars Express]]]]
The planned landing site at Phobos was a region from 5°S to 5°N, 230° to 235°E.<ref>{{cite web|title=Phobos Flyby Images: Proposed Landing Sites for the Forthcoming Phobos-Grunt Mission |url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315125645.htm |work=Science Daily |access-date=7 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228200813/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315125645.htm |archive-date=28 December 2011 |date=15 March 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> Soil sample collection would begin immediately after the lander touched down on Phobos, with collection lasting 2–7 days. An emergency mode existed for the case of communications breakdown, which enabled the lander to automatically launch the return rocket to deliver the samples to Earth.<ref name=Zak_ASM/>

A robotic arm would have collected samples up to {{cvt|1.3|cm}} in diameter. At the end of the arm was a pipe-shaped tool which split to form a claw. The tool contained a piston which would have pushed the sample into a cylindrical container. A light-sensitive photo-diode would have confirmed whether material collection was successful and also allowed visual inspection of the digging area. The sample extraction device would have performed 15 to 20 scoops yielding a total of {{cvt|85|to|156|g}} of soil.<ref name=Zak_ASM/> The samples would be loaded into a capsule which would then be moved inside a special pipeline into the descent module by inflating an elastic bag within the pipe with gas.<ref name=rian_martynov_answers/> Because the characteristics of Phobos soil are uncertain, the lander included another soil-extraction device, a Polish-built drill, which would have been used in case the soil turned out to be too rocky for the main scooping device.<ref name="universetoday_daring"/><ref name="zak_bbc_rebirth"/>

After the departure of the return stage, the lander's experiments would have continued ''in situ'' on Phobos's surface for a year. To conserve power, mission control would have turned these on and off in a precise sequence. The robotic arm would have placed more samples in a chamber that would heat it and analyze its [[Emission spectrum|emission spectra]]. This analysis might have been able to determine the presence of volatile compounds, such as water.<ref name=Zak_ASM/>

=== Sample return to Earth ===
The return stage was mounted on top of the lander. It would have needed to accelerate to {{cvt|35|km/h}} to escape Phobos's gravity. In order to avoid harming the experiments remaining at the lander, the return stage would have ignited its engine once the vehicle had been vaulted to a safe height by springs. It would then have begun maneuvers for the eventual trip to Earth, where it would have arrived in August 2014.<ref name=Zak_ASM/> An 11-kg descent vehicle containing the capsule with soil samples (up to {{cvt|0.2|kg}}) would have been released on direct approach to Earth at {{cvt|12|km/s}}.<ref name="esa_spacecraft">[https://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=49090 Phobos Soil – Spacecraft] European Space Agency</ref> Following the aerodynamic braking to {{cvt|30|m/s}} the conical descent vehicle would perform a hard landing without a parachute within the [[Sary Shagan]] test range in [[Kazakhstan]].<ref name=rian_martynov_answers/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a7296/russias-mars-mission-gets-stuck-in-earth-orbit-6554227/|title=Russia Races to Save Its Mars Mission Stuck in Earth Orbit|publisher=Popular Mechanics|date=10 November 2011|first=Rand|last=Simberg|access-date=11 June 2019}}</ref> The vehicle did not have any radio equipment.<ref name="universetoday_daring"/> Ground-based radar and optical observations would have been used to track the vehicle's return.<ref name="zak_phobos_grunt_scenario">[https://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_scenario.html The mission scenario of the Phobos-Grunt project] Anatoly Zak</ref>

=== Summary of intended mission phases ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Event !! Date !! Notes<ref name="galspace.spb.ru"/>
|-
| Departure from Earth orbit || 28 October – 21 November 2011 || Three course corrections of up to 130&nbsp;m/s [[delta V]] foreseen during Earth-Mars cruise
|-
| Mars arrival || 25 August – 26 September 2012 || 945&nbsp;m/s braking burn to enter initial Mars parting orbit with [[Apsis|periapsis]] = 800 ± 400&nbsp;km, [[Apsis|apoapsis]] = 79,000&nbsp;km and period of three days. Propulsion module and Yinghuo-1 separates from the rest of the craft.
|-
| Transfer to intermediate Mars orbit || October – December 2012 || 220&nbsp;m/s engine burn to raise periapsis to 6499&nbsp;km, changing the orbital period to 3.3 days and the [[orbital inclination]] to that of Phobos.
|-
| Transfer to Phobos observation orbit || December 2012 || 705&nbsp;m/s engine burn to insert the craft into an early circular orbit with an average radius of 9910&nbsp;km, i.e. about 535&nbsp;km above Phobos orbit, and orbital period = 8.3 h.
|-
| Rendezvous with Phobos || January 2013 || 45&nbsp;m/s + 20&nbsp;m/s engine burns for transfer to quasi-synchronous orbit where the probe always remains within 50..140&nbsp;km of Phobos.
|-
| Phobos landing and surface activities || End of January – beginning of April 2013 || Landing maneuver takes two hours (100&nbsp;m/s delta V trajectory changes).
|-
| Separation of Earth return vehicle (ERV) from lander || April 2013 || 10&nbsp;m/s + 20&nbsp;m/s trajectory change to enter parking orbit 300–350&nbsp;km lower than Phobos with a period of 7.23 hours.
|-
| ERV transfer orbit || Starting in August 2013 || 740&nbsp;m/s periapsis burn for insertion into 3-day elliptical transfer orbit.
|-
| ERV pre orbit insertion || Mid-August 2013 || 125&nbsp;m/s burn to change the inclination of the orbit while decreasing the periapsis distance to 500–1000&nbsp;km above the martian surface.
|-
| ERV trans-Earth injection burn || 3–23 September 2013 || Final 790&nbsp;m/s engine burn to accelerate out of Mars orbit.
|-
| ERV Earth arrival || 15–18 August 2014 || Up to five trajectory corrections (combined delta V < 130&nbsp;m/s) would be performed before atmospheric entry.
|}

=== Ground control ===
The [[mission control center]] was located at the [[Center for Deep Space Communications]] ([[:ru:Национальный центр управления и испытаний космических средств|''Национальный центр управления и испытаний космических средств'']] {{in lang|ru}}, equipped with [[Yevpatoria RT-70 radio telescope|RT-70 radio telescope]] near [[Yevpatoria]] in [[Crimea]].<ref>[https://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/71035/ Russian spacecraft for Fobos-Grunt program to be controlled from Yevpatoria], [[Kyiv Post]] (25 June 2010)</ref> [[Russia]] and [[Ukraine]] agreed in late October 2010 that the [[European Space Operations Centre]] in [[Darmstadt]], Germany, would have controlled the probe.<ref name=tass102511>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Russia's Phobos Grunt to head for Mars on November 9 |location=Moscow |publisher=ITAR-TASS |date=25 October 2011 |url=https://tass.com/archive/663180 |access-date=8 Nov 2025}}</ref>

Communications with the spacecraft on the initial parking orbit are described in a two-volume publication.<ref>[http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12378 Fobos-Grunt sample return mission.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112141022/http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12378|date=12 November 2011}}{{in lang|ru}}</ref>

== Scientific critiques ==
Barry E. DiGregorio, Director of the [[International Committee Against Mars Sample Return]] (ICAMSR), criticised the [[Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment|LIFE experiment]] carried by Fobos-Grunt as a violation of the [[Outer Space Treaty]] due to the possibility of contamination of Phobos or Mars with the microbial spores and live bacteria it contains should it have lost control and crash-landed on either body.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827924.300-dont-send-bugs-to-mars.html?full=true|title=Don't send bugs to Mars|last=DiGregorio|first=Barry E.|date=28 December 2010 |publisher=New Scientist|access-date=8 January 2011}}</ref> It is speculated that the heat-resistant extremophile bacteria could survive such a crash, on the basis that ''[[Microbispora]]'' bacteria survived the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2005.12.002|title=Microbial survival in space shuttle crash|year=2006|last1=McLean|first1=R.|last2=Welsh|first2=A. |last3=Casasanto|first3=V.|journal=Icarus|volume=181|pages=323–325|pmid=21804644|issue=1|pmc=3144675|bibcode=2006Icar..181..323M}}</ref>

According to Fobos-Grunt Chief Designer [[Maksim Martynov]], the probability of the probe accidentally reaching the surface of Mars was much lower than the maximum specified for Category III missions, the type assigned to Fobos-Grunt and defined in [[COSPAR]]'s [[planetary protection]] policy (in accordance with [[wikisource:Outer Space Treaty of 1967#Article IX|Article IX]] of the Outer Space Treaty).<ref name="rian_martynov_answers"/><ref name="cospar_ppp"/>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* {{annotated link|List of missions to Mars}}
* {{annotated link|Mars sample return mission}}
* {{annotated link|Martian Moons Exploration}}
* {{annotated link|Phobos program}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal|author=M. Ya. Marov, V. S. Avduevsky, E. L. Akim, T. M. Eneev, R. S. Kremnev, S. D. Kulikov, K. M. Pichkhadze, G. A. Popov, G. N. Rogovsky|title=Phobos-Grunt: Russian sample return mission
|journal=Advances in Space Research|year=2004|volume=33|issue=12|pages=2276–2280|doi=10.1016/S0273-1177(03)00515-5|bibcode=2004AdSpR..33.2276M|last2=Avduevsky|last3=Akim|last4=Eneev|last5=Kremnev|last6=Kulikov
|last7=Pichkhadze|last8=Popov|last9=Rogovsky}}

* {{cite journal|doi=10.1134/S0038094610010028|title=Phobos sample return mission: Scientific substantiation|year=2010|last1=Galimov|first1=E. M.|journal=Solar System Research|volume=44|issue=1|pages=5–14 |bibcode=2010SoSyR..44....5G|s2cid=124416846}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1134/S0038094610050011|title=Phobos-Grunt project: Devices for scientific studies|year=2010|last1=Zelenyi|first1=L. M.|last2=Zakharov|first2=A. V.|journal=Solar System Research|volume=44 |issue=5|page=359|bibcode=2010SoSyR..44..359Z|s2cid=121719627}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1134/S0038094610050023|title=The miniaturized Möessbauer spectrometer MIMOS II for the Phobos-Grunt mission|year=2010|last1=Rodionov|first1=D. S.|last2=Klingelhoefer|first2=G. |last3=Evlanov|first3=E. N.|last4=Blumers|first4=M.|last5=Bernhardt|first5=B.|last6=Gironés|first6=J.|last7=Maul|first7=J.|last8=Fleischer|first8=I.|last9=Prilutskii|first9=O. F.|last10=Shlyk|first10=A. F.
|last11=Linkin|first11=V. M.|last12=d'Uston|first12=C.|journal=Solar System Research|volume=44|issue=5|page=362|bibcode=2010SoSyR..44..362R|s2cid=122144645|display-authors=8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Phobos-Grunt}}
* [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2011-065A NSSDC entry of Fobos-Grunt]

{{Mars spacecraft}}
{{Russian space program}}
{{Astrobiology}}
{{Orbital launches in 2011}}

[[Category:Fobos-Grunt| ]]
[[Category:Space probes launched in 2011]]
[[Category:Missions to Mars]]
[[Category:Phobos (moon)]]
[[Category:Russian space probes]]
[[Category:Sample return missions]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 2012]]
[[Category:2011 in Russia]]
[[Category:Destroyed space probes]]
[[Category:Attached spacecraft]]
[[Category:Astrobiology space missions]]