Russian Proton-M Rocket Explodes on Launch

A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three Glonass navigation satellites exploded soon after takeoff from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrom...

A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three Glonass navigation satellites exploded soon after takeoff from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday.
The live footage aired by Rossiya-24 television channel showed the rocket veering off its trajectory just seconds after its launch at 06:38 am (0238 GMT), before erupting into a ball of flames and releasing highly toxic rocket fuel into the air.

According to Talgat Musabaev, the head of Kazakhstan’s space agency, there were 600 tons of highly toxic heptyl, amyl and kerosene rocket fuels on board.
It is the second unsuccessful launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket with Russia's flagship Glonass positioning system on board in the last three years, and is another setback for Moscow’s space program.

Proton

Proton-M, can launch 3–3.2 tonnes (6,600–7,100 lb) into geostationary orbit or 5.5 tonnes (12,000 lb) into a geostationary transfer orbit. It can place up to 22 tonnes (49,000 lb) in low earth orbit.
The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965 and the launch system is still in use, which makes it one of the most successful heavy boosters in the history of spaceflight.