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Falcon 1 Reaches Space But Loses Control and is Destroyed on Re-Entry
SpaceX Falcon 1's first stage falling back toward Earth with the second stage rocket engine in the foreground. (SpaceX photo) EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 21, 2007 - Satnews Daily - Falcon 1 lifted off successfully but failed to reach its target orbit and most likely burned up on re-entry after a roll control problem threw it off course.
The sad ending to the widely anticipated and watched (via Webcast) Falcon 1 saga, however, was declared a success by SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies), owner and operator of Falcon 1.
SpaceX said the two-stage Falcon 1 was launched from its Omelek Island launch site at 9:10 p.m. EDT (0110 March 21 GMT), but suffered a roll control malfunction 300 kilometers above Earth before completing its flight plan.
The roll control anomaly affected control of Falcon 1�s second stage booster. This loss of control threw the booster off course and sent it crashing to an unscheduled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean without completing a full orbit. The first stage parachuted onto the Pacific Ocean and is being recovered by SpaceX.
"We successfully reached space, and really retired almost all of the risk associated with the rocket," said Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX.
Despite the failure, Musk said they feel like there�s really no need for an extra test flight. He noted that SpaceX launched Falcon 1 as a demonstration for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to prove the booster�s capabilities.
"The rocket business is definitely not a low-stress business, that�s for sure, but I don�t think I�m disappointed. In fact, I�m pretty happy."
He was buoyed by Falcon 1�s lift off, its successful first-stage and payload fairing separations and the second stage ignition. He said this proved that hundreds of booster improvements incorporated into the vehicle since its first March 2006 failure were a success.
"I think it�s fair to characterize this as a success and a good day," Musk said. "Not a perfect day, but a good day."
DARPA bankrolled the second Falcon 1 flight to the tune of $7 million. The primary aim of the mission was to gather flight data for the U.S. Department of Defense, which is a major customer for SpaceX�s future launches. Falcon 1 payload was a 50 kilogram experimental satellite that was to have been placed into a circular 685 kilometer high orbit. The payload included an automated flight safety system, low-cost satellite communications transceiver and mechanical payload adapter ring.
"The malfunction could have been due to a range of issues, such as helium leak or a roll control jet glitch, but only a subsequent analysis will root out the cause," Musk said.
On the company website, he noted that "operationally responsive (ie fast) launch has become an increasingly important national security objective, so demonstrating rapid loading of propellents and launch in less than an hour, as well as a rapid recycle following the first engine ignition are major accomplishments."
Hanging in the balance is the fate of the third Falcon 1 mission. SpaceX is scheduled to launch the TacSat-1 military communications satellite this summer aboard another Falcon 1. This third mission will also carry a secondary payload of cremated remains, provided through Space Services Inc. Among those to be memorialized in space are Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper and "Star Trek" actor James ("Scotty") Doohan.
A second consecutive launch failure for Falcon 1, which is championing a cheaper way of getting into space, should have been a heavy blow to SpaceX. Musk, however, said before the launch that should this second flight go awry, the company will not wait for another year before launching its third attempt.
"The reason it took us a year is that the vehicle on the pad and the ground support equipment have hundreds of robustness upgrades. This is really Falcon 1 version 2," he said.
"Therefore, no matter what happens, I do not expect there to be a significant delay in their approximate end of summer and mid fall launch dates."
SpaceX has scheduled a total of three Falcon 1 launches for 2007. The second flight by Falcon 1 came hours after the first attempt yesterday was scrubbed due to a data link glitch.
The highly anticipated second flight of the reusable rocket was aborted less than two minutes before liftoff at 4:45 p.m. because of a telemetry or data transmission problem, said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX vice president of business development.
This link was eventually re-established, however. While the data link was not mission critical for the launch, SpaceX felt it was important that its headquarters at El Segundo, California be able to see the launch data.
The second mission for Falcon 1 comes nearly a year after the first vehicle exploded shortly after takeoff. SpaceX traced that failure to a corroded aluminum nut that caused a fuel leak and led to a premature engine cutoff. SpaceX engineers have since made improvements to the rocket and its launch site infrastructure.
SpaceX launched Falcon 1 from a site at Omelek Island on Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX was founded by Musk, a dotcom millionaire who co-founded the Internet payment scheme, PayPal.
Musk has spent $100 million of his own money to develop low-cost rockets that would dramatically increase access to space for business, government, educational institutions and private citizens.
Powered by kerosene fuel, Falcon 1 is a 21 meter (68 foot) booster with a reusable first stage that will descend by parachute into the ocean for recovery.
SpaceX, is trying to break into the orbital space launch market. Falcon 1 is designed to carry up to 1,254 pounds to low Earth orbit for just $6.7 million, hence its attractiveness to the U.S. military.
The company has seen five new contracts since its failed maiden launch in 2006. The company has contracts worth about $400 million, more that half of that from orders in the past year. Twelve flights are scheduled for Falcon 1.
The Falcon 1 mission is a precursor to the launch of Falcon 9 rocket, a heavy-lift booster currently under development to loft the manned Dragon spacecraft. Dragon, to be launched in 2009, is SpaceX�s entry to NASA�s Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS), a program aimed at finding private crew and cargo services to support the International Space Station (ISS).
"All in all, this test has flight proven 95+ percent of the Falcon 1 systems, which bodes really well for our upcoming flights of Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, which uses similar hardware," Musk said on the company website. "We do not expect any significant delay in the upcoming flights at this point. The Department of Defense satellite launch is currently scheduled for late summer and the Malaysian satellite for the fall."
