Author Topic: SpaceX delays launch after test rocket explosion  (Read 726 times)

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SpaceX delays launch after test rocket explosion
« on: August 27, 2014, 08:37:39 pm »
SpaceX delays launch after test rocket explosion
Reuters
By Irene Klotz  15 hours ago



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Aug 26 (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies will delay the launch of its next Falcon 9 rocket by up to two weeks following Friday's explosion of a related prototype vehicle during a flight test, officials said on Tuesday.

The privately owned company, also known as SpaceX, had planned to launch a communications satellite owned by Hong Kong-based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Ltd early Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

On Sunday, SpaceX announced it would delay the launch of the AsiaSat 6 spacecraft for one day to review data collected during the botched test flight of a Falcon rocket demonstration vehicle that self-destructed on Friday.

The Falcon 9 Reusable development vehicle, known as Falcon 9R, was outfitted with three engines and a prototype landing system the company had been developing to fly its rockets back to the launch site for refurbishment and reuse.

The Falcon 9R exploded about 17 seconds after liftoff from SpaceX's McGregor, Texas, rocket development and testing facility, video posted on YouTube by spectators showed.

After an initial review, SpaceX cleared its nine-engine operational Falcon rocket for the AsiaSat mission, but the firm owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk apparently had second thoughts.

The launch had been slated for 12:50 a.m. EDT/0450 GMT on Wednesday.

"We are not aware of any issue with Falcon 9, nor the interfaces with the spacecraft, but have decided to review all potential failure modes and contingencies again. We expect to complete this process in one to two weeks," the company said in a statement released late Tuesday.

SpaceX has flown its Falcon 9 rocket 11 times, most recently on Aug. 5 to deliver the first of two AsiaSat communication satellites into orbit.

In addition to flying commercial missions, SpaceX Falcon rockets launch Dragon cargo ships to the International Space Station for NASA. The company's next cargo run had been targeted for Sept. 19. There was no immediate word about whether the delay to the AsiaSat launch would postpone NASA's mission as well.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)


http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-delays-launch-test-rocket-030819579.html

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SpaceX Delays Commercial Satellite Launch Over Reusable Rocket Mishap
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2014, 04:01:06 am »
SpaceX Delays Commercial Satellite Launch Over Reusable Rocket Mishap
SPACE.com
by Mike Wall, Senior Writer  15 hours ago



The AsiaSat 6 satellite is encapsulated ahead of its launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.



SpaceX called off the planned early-morning liftoff of a commercial telecommunications satellite Wednesday (Aug. 27) to perform a thorough check of its launch systems in the wake of a test-flight mishap last week involving a prototype rocket.

The private spaceflight company had intended to launch the AsiaSat 6 satellite to orbit atop its Falcon 9 rocket at 12:50 a.m. EDT (0450 GMT) Wednesday from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. But the company called off the attempt Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 26).

"We are not aware of any issue with Falcon 9, nor the interfaces with the spacecraft, but have decided to review all potential failure modes and contingencies again," SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. "We expect to complete this process in one to two weeks."

The scrub comes just four days after SpaceX's prototype rocket self-destructed shortly after launching from the company's test site in McGregor, Texas. But the Friday (Aug. 22) mishap  Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) likely has little bearing on the performance of an operational Falcon 9 rocket, Musk said.

"Had the same blocked sensor port problem occurred with an operational Falcon 9, it would have been outvoted by several other sensors. That voting system was not present on the test vehicle," Musk said in the statement.

"What we do want to triple-check is whether even highly improbable corner case scenarios have the optimal fault detection and recovery logic," he added. "This has already been reviewed by SpaceX and multiple outside agencies, so the most likely outcome is no change. If any changes are made, we will provide as much detail as is allowed under U.S. law.”

Friday's anomaly had initially caused SpaceX to push the AsiaSat 6 launch back by 24 hours, from early Tuesday to early Wednesday.

AsiaSat 6 is designed to distribute video and broadband service to customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It will be operated by Hong Kong-based firm Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat).

SpaceX launched the AsiaSat 8 satellite earlier this month. Both spacecraft were built for AsiaSat by California-based firm Space Systems/Loral.

Developing reusable rockets is a priority for SpaceX. Musk has said that a fully and rapidly reusable launch system could cut the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100, opening up the heavens to exploration.

So SpaceX has conducted numerous test flights of reusable rocket prototypes lately, including the F9R and Grasshopper vehicles. The company has also successfully brought the first stage of a Falcon 9 back to Earth for a soft ocean splashdown during satellite launches twice this year.


http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-delays-commercial-satellite-launch-over-reusable-rocket-114233880.html

 

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