SpaceX identifies cause of launch abort
Posted: Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 12:42 PM ET (1742 GMT)
SpaceX says it's tracked down the cause of an aborted Falcon 9 launch early this month. The Oct. 2 launch of a GPS 3 satellite was stopped at the last second because of a problem with a gas generator in one of the rocket's Merlin engines. At a briefing Wednesday, SpaceX said a relief valve in the rocket was blocked by "masking lacquer", similar to nail polish, that was not properly cleaned out during the manufacturing process. SpaceX is replacing two Merlin engines in the Falcon 9 booster that will launch NASA's Crew-1 commercial crew mission because they showed similar behavior in testing to the engine from the GPS launch attempt. NASA has rescheduled the Crew-1 launch for the evening of Nov. 14.
SpaceX says it's tracked down the cause of an aborted Falcon 9 launch early this month. The Oct. 2 launch of a GPS 3 satellite was stopped at the last second because of a problem with a gas generator in one of the rocket's Merlin engines. At a briefing Wednesday, SpaceX said a relief valve in the rocket was blocked by "masking lacquer", similar to nail polish, that was not properly cleaned out during the manufacturing process. SpaceX is replacing two Merlin engines in the Falcon 9 booster that will launch NASA's Crew-1 commercial crew mission because they showed similar behavior in testing to the engine from the GPS launch attempt. NASA has rescheduled the Crew-1 launch for the evening of Nov. 14.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 12
Firefly Now Targeting Next Alpha Flight By Year’s End
Aviation Week — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT) 'Russian Starlink' Is Fast Becoming A Reality, There's Just One Problem For The Kremlin
Radio Free Europe — 4:52 am ET (0852 GMT) Firefly Aerospace Announces Extension of Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin Through 2031
Firefly Aerospace — 4:50 am ET (0850 GMT) Firefly’s SciTec Awarded $94 Million U.S. Space Force Contract to Advance Ground-Based Radar Digitization Program
Firefly Aerospace — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) Registration Now Open for Spacepower Conference 2026
EINPresswire.com — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) |
