WASHINGTON -- An improperly installed cover caused rain water to douse a multi-million dollar Air Force navigation satellite last May, according to Air Force documents released Thursday.
The mishap, which nearly ruined the Global Positioning System IIR satellite, will likely wind up costing taxpayers more than $2 million and months of delay in launching the spacecraft, the military reported.
The satellite was loaded atop a Boeing Delta II rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida early last May. But when a violent thunderstorm with attendant lightning lashed the pad, a rain shield put in place to protect the satellite failed to hold the water.
Instead the rain leaked through an opened fastener hole caused by a broken-off screw and collected atop the rain shield. The shield could not hold the weight of the collected water and subsequently collapsed, sending the rain water onto an air conditioning cover.
The water leaked through the seams of that cover and onto the satellite. The resulting damage caused the launch to be canceled and the satellite removed from atop the rocket for cleaning and repair. "We believe there is clear and convincing evidence to show that the satellite was damaged by rainwater because the procedures for fabricating and installing the rain shield weren’t followed," according to Air Force Col. Edwin E. Noble, head of the board that investigated the incident.
A change in procedures will be implemented, the Air Force said. There was no word if there was any disciplinary action planned to the launch pad crew involved in the accident. The launch has not yet been rescheduled.
The Delta II rocket is the only remaining U.S. commercial and military space booster not grounded by the string of launch failures that have occurred this spring. Currently held to the pad are the U.S. Delta III, Atlas II, Atlas III, Titan IVB, and Athena launch vehicles. One version of the Titan IVB and the Athena are expected to be cleared to return to flight status shortly.
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