SpaceX: Falcon 9 after 2 weeks forced break with 3 smooth launches in 2 days
- by heise online
- Jul 29, 2024
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This article was originally published in German and has been automatically translated.
SpaceX's successful rocket is back on course. After the US regulatory authorities cleared the Falcon 9 for launch again last week, SpaceX wasted no time and carried out three launches this weekend. All three missions apparently successfully launched Starlink satellites into orbit for the company's satellite internet.
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In themselves, these launches are no longer anything special; after all, they were launches number 73 to 75 this year alone. However, during the previous mission at the beginning of July, there was a rare problem for SpaceX. The engine had shut down prematurely, meaning that the satellites could not be brought to their intended positions and burned up. As a result, the FAA shut down the Falcon 9 to investigate the incident.
Towards the end of last week, SpaceX announced that the Merlin engine had successfully completed the first ignition after separation from the first stage of the rocket and was on its way to the planned altitude for launching the satellites. However, an oxygen leak had occurred near the engine, causing ice to form. This led to the automatic shutdown of the engine and the satellites were released too early.
First incident after almost 300 successful missions
After a brief investigation, engineers and technicians attributed this to a crack in a series of pressure sensors. According to SpaceX, this crack was caused by material fatigue due to heavy loads caused by vibrations from the engines. According to the company, however, these sensors are not necessary for operation. They are redundant and were installed at the request of a previous customer. In future, the Falcon 9 rocket will be launched without these sensors.
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