A preliminary SpaceX analysis into the failed Falcon 1 launch – which
lifted off at 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT) on March 24 – found that the fuel
leak and flames led to an engine shut down just after the rocket launched skyward
from the equatorial set Kwajalein Atoll on the central Pacific Ocean. The incident
marred the debut of SpaceX's Falcon 1, a low-cost rocket intended to allow
more affordable access to space for satellite payloads.
"A fuel leak of currently unknown origin caused a fire around the top
of the main engine," SpaceX chief Elon Musk said in a written update. "On
high-resolution imagery, the fire is clearly vehicle within seconds after liftoff."
Musk said the fire began about 25 seconds after liftoff and cut into the Falcon
1 rocket's first stage helium pneumatic system used to pressurize the
booster's fuel tanks. Once that pressure dropped, the Falcon 1 rocket's
Merlin engine shut down about 29 seconds after liftoff, he added.
A formal launch incident inquiry led by a U.S. government team in partnership
with SpaceX will also be conducted, the El Segundo, California-based launch
firm said.
"I cannot predict exactly when the next flight will take place,
as that depends on the findings of this investigation and ensuring that our
next customer is comfortable that all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure
reliability," Musk said. "However, I would hope that the next launch occurs
in less than six months. SpaceX is in this for the long haul and, come
hell or high water, we are going to make this work."
Musk also said he was grateful for the support of his launch customers, who
called in their messages after the incident. "We will stand by them as they
have stood by us," he said.
SpaceX's $6.7 million Falcon 1 rocket, a two-stage liquid oxygen and
kerosene powered booster, is designed to launch payloads of up to 1,256 pounds
(570 kilograms) into low Earth orbit (LEO). It features a reusable first stage,
which is designed to parachute into the ocean for later pickup, servicing and
reuse.
The inaugural rocket was expected to launch the FalconSat-2 satellite, an
$800,000 cube-shaped spacecraft designed and built by cadets at the U.S. Air
Force Academy in Colorado. The mission was supported by the U.S. Air Force and
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Prior to the March 24 anomaly, SpaceX officials hoped to launch their second
Falcon 1 rocket and its TacSat-1 satellite payload from Vandenberg Air Force
Base in California later this year. A Malaysian satellite and several smaller
payloads were also set to launch from the atoll staging site in February 2007,
the firm said.
"Our plan at this point is to analyze data and debris to be certain
that the preliminary analysis is correct and then isolate and address
all possible causes for the fuel leak," Musk said. "In addition,
we will do another ground up systems review of the entire vehicle to flush out
any other potential issues."
Aside from the fatal fuel leak and fire, Falcon 1's other systems appear
to have performed as expected during its inaugural flight, SpaceX said.
Musk said the vehicle's main engine, thruster vector controls, avionics,
software and other systems functioned as planned. It does not appear that the
rocket's first stage insulation, which wraps around the booster to insulate
its supercold liquid fuel and was a source of some speculation early after the
failed launch, played a negative role in the Falcon 1 rocket's loss, Musk
added.
The SpaceX chief said he and his firm are committed to rooting out the source
of the first Falcon 1 rocket's failure, and they he believes in "maximum
exposure" to release information on the investigation as it is learned.
Musk added that SpaceX is not the first launch service firm to experience difficulties
in its early space shot attempts.
"Having experienced firsthand how hard it is to reach orbit, I have
a lot of respect for those that persevered to produce the vehicles that
are mainstays of space launch today," Musk said.
