Mission Failure
The rocket lifted off on November 16, 1996 at 20:48:53 UTC. The rocket performed properly up to parking orbit. The planned second burn of the Block D-2 fourth stage failed to take place. The spacecraft separated and then performed its engine burn automatically. Unfortunately, without the fourth stage burn, the spacecraft accelerated itself back into the Earth's atmosphere. The fourth stage re-entered on a later orbit. There is disagreement between American and Russian sources on the timeline.
Read more about this topic: Mars 96
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