Engine in failed rocket launch likely to be pulled

[Buster's Uncle]

Engine in failed rocket launch likely to be pulled
Associated Press  2 hours ago



In this Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 file photo provided by NASA, the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, explodes moments after launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital Sciences says it will likely stop using the type of engines that were employed when its unmanned Antares commercial supply rocket moments after liftoff last week. The company says its investigation of the crash is continuing, but preliminary results point to a failure in one of its two main engines.(AP Photo/NASA, Joel Kowsky, File)



NEW YORK (AP) — Orbital Sciences says it will likely stop using the type of engines that were employed when its unmanned Antares commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded moments after liftoff last week.

The company says its investigation of the crash is continuing, but preliminary results point to a failure in one of its two main engines involved in the first stage of launch. Orbital says it still plans to fulfill its contract with NASA to deliver all remaining cargo to the Space Station by the end of 2016.

The engines involved are liquid oxygen and kerosene-fueled AJ26 engines made by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engines were originally designed and produced during the Soviet era in Russia, though modifications have been made.

On its website, Orbital said each AJ26 engine was sent from the Aerojet Rocketdyne facility in Sacramento, California, to the NASA/Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hot fire acceptance testing, prior to heading to the Wallops Island, Virginia, launch site.

It will introduce an already-planned upgrade to the Antares propulsion system early in 2016.

Orbital Sciences Corp., based in Dulles, Virginia, says there will be no cost increase for NASA and it doesn't expect costs related to the accident to be material for Orbital in 2015.

Shares of Orbital Sciences rose $1.06, or 4.2 percent, to $26.18 in morning trading Wednesday.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/engine-failed-rocket-launch-likely-131644461.html

[Unorthodox]

The engines involved are liquid oxygen and kerosene-fueled AJ26 engines made by Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Try made by Russia, stored in a warehouse for 30 years, sold to Aerojet where they were refurbished and modified.  Yes, it's another fine example of how awful these Russian engines are, clearly something must be done, go forth and correct! 

Rather convenient that Aerojet has lobbying for the US govt to fund it's ($1 billion in developement and $25 million per rocket ever after) effort to build a replacement for these and the other Russian engine, no?  Clearly it MUST be done, or all those future launches will be in jeopardy.  Oh, that heavy lift will need these new engines too.  If that goes through, Aerojet will have engines on 2/3 of NASA launches...

Clearly this was all a disaster for the company.  Oh, wait, that's right, Orbital is taking the heat for the launch failure...

[Geo]

If these 'Russian' engines are unreliable, why have Russian launches a higher succes rate then? Do they use a more recent design in Baikonour?

[Unorthodox]

Design doesn't matter as much as age and modification.  The metal in these older engines is simply old.  Coupled with modifications that attempt to push higher pressures through the engines, and some are going to fail. 

NONE of the engines have failed with the original pressures, just the modifications, and, IMO, it's a whole political BS pulled by some companies to get Govt subsidies to catch up to Space X.

Aerojet's "new" engine will be the same design, just made new.  They bought all the patents and designs a little while back. 

Smoke and mirrors.

[Geo]

I see.