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Falcon 9 Explodes On Pad (npr.org)
Reader Mysticalfruit writes: NPR is reporting that a Falcon9 carrying the AMOS-6 satellite that was supposed to launch on Sat exploded during it's scheduled static fire. No injuries are reported. They're reporting that this was going to be the first reflown first stage.
The Verge adds:SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, meant to launch a satellite this weekend, exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida this morning. The explosion occurred during the preparation for the static fire test of the rocket's engines, NASA told the Associated Press. The blast reportedly shook buildings "several miles away." The company confirmed to The Verge the loss of the Falcon 9 an hour later: "SpaceX can confirm that in preparation for today's static fire, there was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload. Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries."
The Verge adds:SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, meant to launch a satellite this weekend, exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida this morning. The explosion occurred during the preparation for the static fire test of the rocket's engines, NASA told the Associated Press. The blast reportedly shook buildings "several miles away." The company confirmed to The Verge the loss of the Falcon 9 an hour later: "SpaceX can confirm that in preparation for today's static fire, there was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload. Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries."
This wasn't a used rocket. The first reuse will be for the SES-10 launch in a couple of months... assuming this doesn't push back the timeline.
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For SpaceX, the private space company owned by Elon Musk, it was the "first launch of [a] flight-proven first stage," the company says. The mission was using the same rocket booster that sent the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station earlier this year.
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No, rejoice! This is what HARD ENGINEERING WORK looks like. It is full of lots of very smart people working hard, and sometimes failing. It isn't you writing a fucking blog about antimatter engines.
The explosion was clearly the LOX tank of the upper stage. Very even, intense, centered perfectly around the LOX tank. Furthermore, it emerges as a bright fireball, very clearly already combusting. That's not just pure LOX, that's a fuel-oxidizer explosion. And it occurred during LOX fueling.
Signs point to a common bulkhead failure; that would explain all of the symptoms. The question would be, why.
Here's to hoping that whatever happened, it only applies to upper stages....
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