The rocket failures come on top of the loss of Phobos-Grunt, Russia's most ambitious planetary mission in decades.

BBC: Soyuz back in service after failed launch

Launch failures claimed nearly half of Russia's probes, including the ambitious Phobos-Grunt sample return mission last year.

MSN: History littered with failed Mars probes

All the information gathered in Tuesday night's communication, including telemetry from Phobos-Grunt, has been passed straight to the Russians.

BBC: Signal picked up from Russia's stranded Mars probe

If control of Phobos-Grunt cannot be re-established, the focus of interest will very rapidly shift to the spacecraft's certain fall to Earth.

BBC: Stricken Mars probe stays silent