LOS
ANGELES, California - Leaders of two private space ventures that suffered
failures vowed today to try, try again.
Louis
Friedman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society based in Pasadena, California, said that they are proceeding with a privately-backed Cosmos 2 solar
sail effort.
The
earlier Cosmos 1 sail was launched skyward on June 21 of last year atop a
Russian sub-launched Volna rocket. But the submarine-launched booster's first
stage shut off, with the mission failing some 83 seconds into flight, Friedman
told attendees of the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) that
began today.
"It
never made it to orbit," Friedman explained, noting that the Volna rocket
suffered a first stage turbopump failure. "We'll try it again," he said.
Friedman
said that some money has been raised for the Cosmos 2 sail project, but they
are looking for a new sponsor for the mission.
While
calling use of the Volna rocket "a worthy attempt," Friedman said the next
solar sail would ride upon a Soyuz-Fregat or Cosmos 3M launcher as a piggyback
payload.
Falcon re-flight
Also
addressing the opening day of the ISDC meeting at a "Space Venturing Forum" was
private rocketeer, Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer of El
Segundo, California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
The
SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket failed March 24 of this year, shortly after liftoff from
a launch pad on Omelek Island. The private rocket's maiden flight suffered a
fuel leak, leading to a main engine shutoff, Musk recounted.
"The
rocket business is a tough business," Musk said.
Musk
said that an on-the-pad processing error by a couple of technicians the day
before launch doomed the vehicle. SpaceX engineers are now putting in place improvements
in several areas, particularly in processing the rocket booster for launch--incorporating
"fool proof" design changes, as well as improving a health-monitoring software check
system used on the rocket, he added.
"We've
had hundreds of engine tests ... and not once did the problem that occurred on
launch day show up," Musk stated. "When we make it ... it sure won't be luck."
The
problem cropped up, ironically, in the part of the booster that ground
personnel check for leaks in the engine, Musk explained.
Next
flight of the Falcon--a demonstration flight--is slated for September, Musk
advised.
Musk
said that SpaceX has some 11 launches that have now been sold.
Asked
about his company's interest in building a crew capsule, Musk said that if
SpaceX wins soon-to-be-announced NASA crew and cargo transport work, the
entrepreneurial firm will accelerate building of the hardware.
Given
the NASA win, the crew capsule would be available roughly three years from now,
Musk said. Without the contract work, a scaled-down version would be available
in 2011, he said.
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