As we know, Russian space probe Phobos-Grunt has “failed to depart Earth orbit” shortly after lift-off (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fobos-Grunt). Apparently, attempts to contact it have been unsuccessful & it may end up falling back to Earth in the upcoming weeks (http://www.astro.cornell.edu/news/russia-still-trying-to-contact-stranded-mars-moon-probe.html).

For fun, I took a look at the astro chart for the time of the lift off: Phobos-Grunt probe launch astro chart (11.08.11, 20:16GMT, Baikonur).

It is clear that whoever scheduled the launch didn’t check to ensure that Mars (fire, iron, weapons, action, engine, moving parts) was well-aspected that day. In fact, considering that the probe was on its way to Mars’s moon(!), it would have been highly desired. Instead, what we see is a very tight (less than 1 degree) opposition (tense aspect, push-pull energy) with Neptune (confusion, mystery, dissolution, drugs, liquids, oil, water, drowning). Further, Mars is positioned in the 12^th house (end of life, isolation, prison, hiding, confinement). In addition, Moon (nurturing, feeding), positioned in the 8^th house of what else—death :), is in close opposition (1 degree) to Saturn (old, non-moving parts, steel, rock, rigid). Neptune is in the 6^th house (work, service); Saturn is in the 2^nd house (stable, rigid things).

At the same time, Mercury (communication), in the 4^th house (home, family) does not have negative aspects to it. On the contrary, it is in a very tight [4 min] conjunction (merging of energies) with Venus (comfort, satisfaction, pleasure, ease) and in a lose [7 degrees] trine (smooth flow of energy) with Uranus (unexpected, astronomy, flying, computers, super fast communication), also in the 8^th house.

To sum this up, although Uranus in the 8^th house does indicate a likelihood of a sudden/unexpected death, it seems unlikely to me that the initial failure to leave the orbit was caused by the breakdown in communication. It is more likely that some feeding pipe (Moon) broke/died, perhaps because of an old/rigid piece malfunctioning (opposition to Saturn), AND/OR, some liquid (Neptune) can no longer get to/service some hidden/isolated moving parts or has flooded them (opposition to Mars).