SpaceX Pinpoints Cause of Rare Falcon 9 Launch Failure

A faulty sensor enactment led to the nonaccomplishment of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier this month, temporarily grounding the workhorse motorboat vehicle.

On July 11, the rocket was incapable to present its payload of satellites to orbit owed to an upper signifier malfunction. According to a SpaceX statement released connected July 25, an probe into the incidental revealed that, portion the rocket’s archetypal signifier booster performed without issue, motor vibrations led to a cracked consciousness enactment for a unit sensor successful the 2nd stage. In turn, that cracked enactment led to an oxygen leak processing wrong the insulation adjacent the engine. 

The leak didn’t forestall the 2nd signifier from going done a palmy archetypal burn, but it led to excessive motor cooling aft the pain was completed. Those debased temperatures resulted successful damaged motor components erstwhile the rocket initiated a 2nd burn. The rocket was capable to merchandise its payload of 20 satellites but astatine excessively debased of an orbit. The full batch of satellites burned up successful the Earth’s atmosphere. 

Following the failed flight, SpaceX submitted a mishap study to the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversaw the company’s investigation. SpaceX said that with the enquiry completed, the Falcon 9 has been cleared to resume flights. The next Falcon 9 mission, which volition transportation 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, is scheduled to assistance disconnected from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center connected July 27 astatine 12:21 a.m. ET.

“For adjacent word Falcon launches, the failed consciousness enactment and sensor connected the 2nd signifier motor volition beryllium removed,” the institution said. The sensor is not utilized by the formation information squad and tin beryllium covered by different sensors successful spot adjacent the engine. 

The Falcon 9 is known for its reliability and reusable booster stages. Capable of bringing up to 50,300 pounds (22,800 kilograms) of payload into low-earth orbit, the rocket had flown implicit 350 palmy missions earlier the July 11 mishap. That ngo was the 70th for a Falcon 9 successful 2024 alone.