TOKYO — SpaceX has announced that it will not be able to recover 20 Starlink satellites left in very low orbit after the Falcon 9 upper stage rocket failed during a July 11 launch.
in statement On July 12, the company announced that 20 satellites Regarding the launch of Group 9-3 It was not possible to raise the orbit because the spacecraft’s electric propulsion system could not cope with the high atmospheric drag the satellite would encounter in very low orbit.
The company said the rocket’s upper stage engine “experienced an anomaly that prevented it from completing its second burn,” which would have put the upper stage into a circular orbit before deploying the satellite. The upper stage was able to deploy the satellite, but it left it in a perigee, or low-altitude orbit just 135 kilometers (84 miles) above sea level.
This left the satellite in what SpaceX called an “extremely high drag environment,” shortening its perigee by at least five kilometers per orbit. “At this level of drag, the maximum thrust available may not be sufficient to successfully launch the satellite, so it will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and perish completely.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted hours after the anomaly that satellite controllers were attempting to run the spacecraft’s electric thrusters at maximum levels to overcome atmospheric drag. “We have updated the satellite’s software to run its ion thrusters at the equivalent of Warp 9,” he said. stated“Unlike a Star Trek episode, this probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try.”
The company added that because the satellites are in such a low orbit and are designed to completely disintegrate upon re-entry, they “pose no threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”
Latest update on the launch failure and its impact
SpaceX’s statement offered few additional details about the upper stage problem, except to note that the second stage was observed to have a liquid oxygen leak during the first burn of one of its Merlin engines, which could explain why the engine parts had unusual ice buildup.
The company did not elaborate on the nature of the anomaly that occurred during the engine’s scheduled one-second re-ignition. Musk said the engine suffered a “RUD,” or “rapid unplanned disintegration,” but SpaceX said in a statement that “the stage survived and deployed the satellite.” The stage was also capable of “self-deactivating,” a standard end-of-mission procedure, removing any energy sources from the fuel tanks and batteries that could cause the stage to disintegrate.
The incident has grounded the rocket, currently the most actively operating launch vehicle, indefinitely while SpaceX investigates the root cause and determines how to launch the upper stage.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on July 12 that it was mandating an investigation into the incident. “The FAA will be involved in all stages of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions,” the agency said. “Return to flight will be permitted only if the FAA determines that the systems, processes, and procedures related to the incident do not affect public safety.”
The launch failure will impact a wide range of customers, from SpaceX’s own Starlink satellites to NASA. The space industry has become increasingly reliant on the Falcon 9, which had a record of more than 300 consecutive successful launches prior to the incident, due to its high flight rate and lack of capacity to compete with other vehicles.
Among the near-term missions facing delays are the Arctic Satellite Broadband mission, a pair of communications satellites that were scheduled to launch this month on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Center, and the Transporter 11 ride-share mission, which is set to launch in July on another Falcon 9 from Vandenberg.
Also pending is Polaris Dawn“The ISS is a private astronaut mission that will carry four people aboard the Crew Dragon to test high-altitude operations and new spacesuits developed by SpaceX. The mission was scheduled to launch as early as July 31 from Florida.
“I’m confident they’ll achieve their objectives quickly and ensure that the most cost-effective and reliable launch vehicles continue to deliver payloads to orbit,” said Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who backed the Polaris program and will command Polaris Dawn. stated“With regards to Polaris Dawn, we will fly it as soon as SpaceX is ready, with full confidence in our rocket, spacecraft and operations.”
Some industry sources are less optimistic. One industry source, speaking privately, said the best-case scenario is that SpaceX will be able to quickly identify and address the issue that caused the outage and resume Starlink launches within a few weeks, giving other customers confidence the problem has been resolved. But it’s also possible that SpaceX’s change of plans could delay some customers’ missions by several months.
The official added that a grounding of the Falcon 9 for months would be “devastating” for much of the industry, with launch programs facing lengthy delays and few alternative launch options.
One of SpaceX’s largest customers is NASA. A Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to launch Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station in early August, followed by the Crew 9 Crew Dragon in mid-August. NASA has not disclosed the criteria it would use to allow the Crew 9 mission to proceed, such as the number of successful Falcon 9 launches.
NASA’s other major mission is the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will use a Falcon Heavy rocket with a similar upper stage to the Falcon 9. The mission has a three-week launch window starting October 10. However, the mission will NASA investigates spacecraft transistor problem There is a possibility that it may not be able to withstand the radiation environment around Jupiter as designed.
“The safety of the crew and assurance of the mission are NASA’s top priority. SpaceX has provided information and is involving NASA in our ongoing anomaly investigation to understand the issue and next steps,” NASA said in a statement late July 12. “NASA will provide updates on the mission, including any impacts to the schedule, as more information becomes available.”
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