But it soon became clear that not everything was going well in the second stage, the deployment of the satellites. It seemed that a liquid was escaping from the ship, forming ice crystals, pieces of which were periodically released and erased across the surface. heat coming from the engine nozzle.
Initially, there was no talk of the anomaly in transmission. As usual, the broadcast ended once the first scene landed, but many viewers wondered what to do about the ice buildup.
It turns out that the spacecraft was able to deploy its payload, the rocket was not able to put it into the planned orbit. Later, founder Elon Musk tweeted that he had experienced a RUD, or “rapid unscheduled disassembly” (SpaceX calls it an explosion).
The satellites eventually deorbited and burned up in our vicinity the next day.
As a result, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded all nine of SpaceX’s Falcon rockets while it conducts an investigation.
According to an FAA obtained through Spaceflight Now, an online news site, SpaceX has requested the resumption of the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket while the accident is investigated.
“Usually those things don’t end in a few weeks,” said Jordan Bimm, an area historian and professor of science communication at the University of Chicago.
“It usually takes a few months. And would the FAA be willing to accelerate that given those factors?I don’t know, I think it depends on the nature of the anomaly and how harmful it is and how likely it is. “it will have to have been reproduced in some other vehicle.
While this might seem like just a disruption to SpaceX’s plans to continuously launch many additional Starlink satellites, grounding has much bigger repercussions on long-term missions, adding the first publicity spacewalk.
Polaris Dawn is a privately funded science project that will use a Falcon nine rocket and the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to carry out a science project.
The project is the first of its kind, with several clinical objectives, including flying 700 kilometers above Earth, making it the highest manned flight at altitude since the Apollo lunar projects. This orbit will take it past the coverage of the Van Allen radiation belt. For comparison, the International Space Station (ISS) orbits about 400 kilometers above Earth.
The team will also be the first to use SpaceX’s Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits, a step up from its Intravehicular Activity (IVA) spacesuit. They will also study SpaceX’s Starlink laser communications in space, as well as other fitness research.
The project is scheduled to launch on July 31.
Following the announcement of the grounding of the nine Falcon rockets, Jared Isaacman, who is investing in the mission, said on social media that he still has faith in SpaceX.
SpaceX has a history with Falcon9. I can say from personal experience that they are very transparent when problems arise. I have no doubt that they will temporarily reach out to a cause and ensure that it is used as cost-effectively and reliably as possible. The launcher continues to deliver a payload to. . .
But other missions may be delayed:
But Bimm said more than that.
He worries astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who traveled to the ISS to check the release of a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The capsule suffered several failures before docking with the space station, and the astronauts extended their project while Boeing investigates in the area and here on the ground.
Many people familiar with the area have wondered whether the two men were stranded on the station and whether a SpaceX Crew Dragon could be sent if so.
“I was thinking. . . Butch and Suni were there on the ISS and whether or not that would have an effect on this kind of contingency plan, we’ve heard whispers and stares here and there, maybe what would happen. if they couldn’t come back on the Starliner,” Bimm said.
NASA and Boeing have vehemently denied that the two men are stranded, insisting that the spacecraft can return home safely.
Whatever the cause of the anomaly, SpaceX said it would cooperate with the investigation. However, it is unclear how long this will take and what effect it will have on other upcoming missions.
It reminds us that continuing to travel is a challenge.
“Space is harsh and complex,” Bimm said. I think another distinctive spatial feature that we want is patience. Spaceflight requires patience. “
Senior science journalist
Based in Toronto, Nicole covers all things science for CBC News. As an amateur astronomer, Nicole gazes at the night sky and appreciates the wonders of our universe. She is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and of several books. In 2021, he won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Kavli Award for Science Journalism for the Quirks and Quarks audio special about the history and future of Black people in science. You can send the concepts of your stories to nicole. mortillaro@cbc. ca.
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