SpaceX suffers Merlin rocket engine failure in Texas; not expected to impact launches

A SpaceX engine test failure at a rocket development facility in Texas has prompted an investigation into the incident but is not expected to impact launch schedules, the company said Wednesday.

SpaceX confirmed that a "Block V" Merlin engine, a new version under development, suffered an anomaly during a qualification test on Sunday at the company's facility in McGregor. No one was injured and further tests of Block V engines at the facility have been suspended until the investigation determines a cause.

The current generation of engines, known as Block IV, have not been impacted by the failure and will continue to fly payloads for SpaceX customers, meaning the incident will not affect this or next year's launches. That includes next Wednesday's planned launch of a secretive payload for Northrop Grumman from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A.

"We are now conducting a thorough and fully transparent investigation of the root cause," SpaceX told FLORIDA TODAY. "SpaceX is committed to our current manifest and we do not expect this to have any impact on our launch cadence.”

[SpaceX rocket and drone ship sail into Port Canaveral at sunset]

[NASA astronaut Richard Gordon, who circled moon during Apollo 12, dies at 88]

A company spokesperson said the anomaly occurred when liquid oxygen was being loaded into the engine during an operation known as a "LOX drop." The tests are designed to root out any cracks or leaks in the engines.

Merlin engines, which power Falcon 9 rockets, are built in Hawthorne, California and transported to McGregor for test fires, both individually and later when mounted onto rockets. The latter are known as "static test fires" and usually occur a few days before launch.

Due to contracts and regulations, SpaceX has notified NASA, The Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force and other agencies of the incident.

The company, which operates multiple test stands in McGregor, expects repairs at the damaged stand to last up to four weeks.

Though this isn't SpaceX's first setback, it appears to be of less significance than the September 2016 Falcon 9 explosion on a Cape Canaveral launch pad and the 2015 incident in which a Dragon spacecraft destined for the International Space Station was lost just after liftoff.

The company has vaulted its rockets from launch pads in Florida and California 16 times this year, doubling last year's total of eight – and more are on the way. 

Next Wednesday's mission from KSC, codenamed "Zuma," is expected to launch during a two-hour window that opens at 8 p.m. A first stage landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1 is expected shortly after liftoff.

SpaceX is also targeting before the end of this year for the premiere flight of the highly anticipated three-core, 27-engine Falcon Heavy from KSC, though no official date has been confirmed.

Led by billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX focuses heavily on rocket reusability and has successfully landed 19 of its Falcon 9 boosters since 2015.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.