Phobos-Grunt spacecraft ceased to exist on January 15, 2012

On the afternoon of January 16, (reportedly after a delay blamed on hacking attack) Russian space agency web site published an official press-release saying that "in accordance with the forecast of Roskosmos, the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft ceased to exist on January 15, 2012." According to the agency, the fallout of the probe's debris took place within a predicted time window during the last 1,097 tracked orbit of the spacecraft over the Pacific, South America and Atlantic. A listing of such extended geographical area clearly indicated some uncertainty over the exact area of impact of the probe's debris, as a result of discrepancies between predictions and factual information the day before. The press-release then went on to say that data from Chief Center for Reconnaissance of Space Situation at Air and Space Defense Forces had shown that the spacecraft had impacted in the Pacific at 21:45 Moscow Time and that this information had matched the data of Roskosmos.

Finally, the agency said that in there had been no any means of visual control or other tracking assets in the area of the spacecraft impact. At the same time, available data from space monitoring indicated the absence of the vehicle in orbit, Roskosmos said.