A fuel leak and subsequent fire led
to the destruction
of Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) first Falcon 1
rocket seconds after liftoff, the private launch services firm said
Saturday.
A preliminary SpaceX
analysis into the failed
Falcon 1 launch - which lifted off at 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT) on March 24
- found that the fuel leak and flames led to an engine shut down just after the
rocket launched skyward from the equatorial set Kwajalein
Atoll on the central Pacific Ocean. The incident marred the debut of SpaceX's Falcon 1, a low-cost rocket intended to allow more
affordable access to space for satellite payloads.
"A fuel leak of currently unknown
origin caused a fire
around the top of the main engine," SpaceX chief Elon Musk said in a written update. "On high-resolution
imagery, the fire is clearly visible within seconds after liftoff."
Musk said the fire began about 25
seconds after liftoff and cut into the Falcon 1 rocket's first stage helium
pneumatic system used to pressurize the booster's fuel tanks. Once that
pressure dropped, the Falcon 1 rocket's Merlin engine shut down about 29
seconds after liftoff, he added.
A formal launch incident inquiry led
by a U.S. government team in partnership with SpaceX
will also be conducted, the El Segundo, California-based launch firm said.
"I cannot predict exactly when
the next flight will take place, as that depends on the findings of this
investigation and ensuring that our next customer is comfortable that all
reasonable steps have been taken to ensure reliability," Musk said. "However, I
would hope that the next launch occurs in less than six months...SpaceX is in this for the long haul and, come hell or high
water, we are going to make this work."
Musk also said he was grateful for
the support of his launch customers, who called in their messages after the
incident.
"We will stand by them as they have
stood by us," he said.
SpaceX's $6.7 million Falcon 1 rocket, a
two-stage liquid oxygen and kerosene powered booster, is designed to launch
payloads of up to 1,256 pounds (570 kilograms) into low Earth orbit (LEO). It
features a reusable first stage, which is designed to parachute into the ocean
for later pickup, servicing and reuse.
The inaugural rocket was expected to
launch the FalconSat-2
satellite, an $800,000 cube-shaped spacecraft designed and built by cadets
at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The mission was supported by the
U.S. Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Prior to the March 24 anomaly, SpaceX officials hoped to launch their second Falcon 1
rocket and its TacSat-1 satellite payload from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California later this year. A Malaysian satellite and several smaller payloads
were also set to launch from the atoll staging site in February 2007, the firm
said.
"Our plan at this point is to
analyze data and debris to be certain that the...preliminary analysis is correct
and then isolate and address all possible causes for the fuel leak," Musk
said. "In addition, we will do another ground up systems review of the
entire vehicle to flush out any other potential issues."
Aside from the fatal fuel leak and
fire, Falcon 1's other systems appear to have performed as expected during its
inaugural flight, SpaceX said.
Musk said the vehicle's main engine,
thruster vector controls, avionics, software and other systems functioned as
planned. It does not appear that the rocket's first stage insulation, which
wraps around the booster to insulate its supercold
liquid fuel and was a source of some speculation early after the failed launch,
played a negative role in the Falcon 1 rocket's loss, Musk added.
The SpaceX
chief said he and his firm are committed to rooting out the source of the first
Falcon 1 rocket's failure, and they he believes in "maximum exposure" to
release information on the investigation as it is learned. Musk added that SpaceX is not the first launch service firm to experience
difficulties in its early space shot attempts.
"Having experienced firsthand how
hard it is to reach orbit, I have a lot of respect for those that
persevered to produce the vehicles that are mainstays of space launch
today," Musk said.
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