Rocket Report: SpaceX reaches ‘ludicrous’ cadence; ABL explains RS1 failure

A Falcon 9 rocket launches on Wednesday morning carrying a GPS III satellite into orbit.

Enlarge / A Falcon 9 rocket launches on Wednesday morning carrying a GPS III satellite tv for pc into orbit. (credit score: Trevor Mahlmann)

Welcome to Version 5.24 of the Rocket Report! I’ve a blurb about this under, however for me the information of the week is that SpaceX not solely launched a Falcon Heavy rocket, however two different Falcon 9 missions on separate coasts as effectively in simply 5 days. The operational challenges of this are immense and, I believe, underappreciated exterior of individuals straight concerned in this type of work.

As all the time, we welcome reader submissions, and should you do not wish to miss a problem, please subscribe utilizing the field under (the shape won’t seem on AMP-enabled variations of the location). Every report will embody info on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets in addition to a fast look forward on the subsequent three launches on the calendar.

ABL updates on RS1 failure. On Wednesday ABL Area Programs offered an replace on the January 10 failure of its RS1 launch car. Lengthy story brief, the primary stage of the car suffered a “full lack of energy” at 10.87 seconds into flight, resulting in a simultaneous shutdown of all 9 of the car’s important engines. The rocket impacted the bottom about 20 meters from the launch website. “Roughly 95 p.c of the car complete propellant mass was nonetheless onboard, creating an lively explosion and over-pressure wave that triggered injury to close by gear and services,” the corporate stated.

Learn 22 remaining paragraphs | Feedback

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *