![]() ![]() ![]() SpaceX decided to integrate satellites to its rockets before the tests to save time. After a successful test, the satellite is “integrated” to the rocket, the rocket is refueled, and launch takes place. Usually the satellite is not aboard the rocket at that time, however. The rocket is fueled and ignited, but the hold down clamps are not released, keeping it secured to the pad. It is routine to test a rocket on its launch pad prior to a launch. Today’s incident was a test, not a launch, and therefore counts as a test failure, not a launch failure. The Falcon 9 has had 27 launch successes and one launch failure (a cargo mission for NASA in June 2015). SpaceX’s first launch vehicle, Falcon 1, had three launch failures and one launch success before the company terminated it. CSF President Eric Stallmer said “We have full confidence that SpaceX will fully investigate and remedy the anomaly, and safely return to launching as soon as possible.” The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) also offered support. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Representatives Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Brian Babin (R-TX) issued supportive statements highlighting the difficulty of space travel. NASA issued the following statement today: SpaceX also is one of the two companies developing commercial crew systems to take astronauts to and from the ISS. However, NASA is a SpaceX customer, both for commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and for launching some of its satellites (such as the Jason-3 satellite earlier this year). This was a commercial launch for a commercial company, not for NASA or any other government agency. posted a video of the explosion on its YouTube channel. Update on this morning’s anomaly /1ogCMPCY44 Statement on this morning’s anomaly /3Xm2bRMS7T SpaceX has issued two tweets with their official statements on what they know so far. Details are still unfolding, but something happened during fueling of the upper stage. The incident occurred at 9:07 am Eastern Daylight Time as SpaceX was getting ready to test its Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for a scheduled launch on Saturday. A video of the explosion is posted on YouTube showing the extensive damage, but no one was at the pad and no one was injured. Facebook was one of the customers planning to use the satellite. AMOS-6 was built by Israel Aerospace Industries and was already attached to the rocket so also was destroyed. The explosion occurred during preparations for a test of the rocket two days before its scheduled launch to place the AMOS-6 communications satellite into orbit. Separation of the satellite stack is scheduled to occur just over an hour into the flight.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded today during a pre-launch test at Cape Canaveral Launch Pad 40. Two burns of the Falcon 9’s second stage will be required to place the satellites into the required 182 x 176 mile (293 x 284 km) orbit. The barge was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Bahamas about 420 miles (675 km) from Cape Canaveral. The first stage booster, B1067, made its 14 flight, separating from the second stage about two and a half minutes into flight and then arcing downrange for a landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. The company announced recently that its now had more than two million subscribers for its broadband internet in more than 60 countries.Īfter lifting off, the Falcon 9 headed southeast, targeting an orbit inclined at 43 degrees to the equator. The Falcon 9 carried 22 second-generation satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink internet service. SpaceX didn’t need any of its five back up launch opportunities Friday, which ranged from at 7:51 p.m. ![]() A Falcon 9 booster stands on pad 40 for the Starlink 6-22 mission. While a West Coast Starlink launch went ahead a few hours later, SpaceX put the Cape launch on hold at the request of NASA, which wanted to prioritize the Falcon Heavy launch of the Psyche asteroid mission, which launched earlier Friday. SpaceX said the delay was due to upper level winds. 8 was aborted with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, based at Cape Canaveral, on Thursday predicted a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather for the first of today’s launch opportunities which improved to 80 percent chance at the end of the window.Ī launch attempt on Oct. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink satellites, delayed by upper level winds and held up for the Falcon Heavy launch of NASA’s Psyche, launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:01 p.m. ![]()
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