SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launch Failure, Operations Halted

 

 

 

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket failed in its launch on the 11th.

An issue occurred with the engine of the second stage booster during the flight, preventing the 20 Starlink satellites onboard from reaching their intended orbit. This marks the first launch failure for the Falcon 9 rocket since September 2016.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident and has announced a suspension of all Falcon 9 operations until public safety is assured. This measure is aimed at ensuring the stability of the Falcon 9 and preventing similar incidents in the future.

Falcon 9 is the world’s most prolific cargo carrier to space, and a prolonged suspension of its operations could significantly impact the global space economy.

The Falcon 9 rocket involved in the incident launched on July 11 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 20 Starlink satellites.

The first stage booster operated normally. However, an issue occurred with ice forming on the engine cover during the second ignition of the second stage booster’s engine.

Elon Musk stated on his social media that “an unidentified issue occurred during the re-ignition process of the second stage engine for altitude increase.”

Musk added, “The Starlink satellites were deployed,” but “the orbit is too low.” The satellites were reportedly deployed at an altitude of 135 km.

In a statement on the 12th, SpaceX said, “The deployment altitude is too low, and the thrusters on the Starlink satellites alone are insufficient to increase the altitude,” indicating a loss of the satellites.

This mission was the 354th launch of the Falcon 9. The last failure before this was in September 2016.

There are growing concerns in the industry that large-scale satellite deployment plans like the Starlink project could be disrupted.

SpaceX stated that it is thoroughly analyzing the cause of the launch failure and is fully committed to resolving the issue.

The company added that it plans to resolve the issue quickly and resume normal launch operations as soon as possible.

출처 : 산경투데이(https://www.sankyungtoday.com)

 

 

https://www.sankyungtoday.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=47047

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launch Failure, Operations Halted