The next rocket launch of #SpaceX is still delayed following a June 28 explosion destroying an unmanned cargo ship to the #InternationalSpaceStation. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/05/spacex-delay-101/

SpaceX’s next rocket launch has been delayed for a few months, following the June 28 explosion that destroyed an unmanned space station cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS). Officials of the aerospace firm said the Falcon 9 rocket would launch in a few months, after previous plans to launch no later than September.

WHY THE DELAY?

Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, said Monday at a scientific forum in Pasadena that they are still “a couple months away from the next flight.” She said they’re taking more time than they originally had thought. “But I don’t think any of our customers wants us to race to the cliff and fail again,” she said. The explosion that occurred in June has initiated more careful construction, delaying the next launch. Until then, SpaceX had a flawless launch record for its Falcon 9, which had successfully completed 17 missions since June 2010.

OLD EXPLOSION PROMPTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION

The company’s Falcon 9 rocket was carrying cargo worth $110 million for NASA when it disintegrated two minutes after liftoff, according to the Los Angeles Times. SpaceX believes the likely culprit was a single, two-foot-long, one-inch-thick steel strut. Rocket struts on a Falcon 9 are designed to handle forces 10 times that of Earth’s gravity, or 10 g. The strut to blame broke at 2 g.

The manner in which NASA responded to this incident remains a heated debate. According to USA Today, NASA set up a independent accident review team after the explosion, but allowed SpaceX to conduct its own probe into the June crash. John Taylor, SpaceX spokesman, said the investigation is going as planned.

NEED A JOB? SPACEX IS LOOKING FOR A WELDER

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket’s delay gives the aerospace company time to construct better launch pads. More time for better structure will save millions of dollars and possibly lives if SpaceX wants to continue launching rockets carrying cargo and still holds hope to transport humans. SpaceX announced that it’s looking for a structural welder for its launch site in South Texas, according to Perfect Science. Structural welding is an important utility of the launch site engineering and build team, the aerospace company said.

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UNTIL YOU BOOK A FLIGHT TO ORBIT, CONSIDER HOW YOU’LL COPE WITH CLAUSTROPHOBIA

https://youtu.be/vD63kwQuZ2I

SpaceX Delays: Next Launch Longer Than Expected

#Sushi and #diplomacy in #space thanks to #RussianSoyuz. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/23/russian-soyuz-brings-three-more-men-to-iss-sushi-ensues-234/

Thanks to Russian Soyuz once again, another Russian cosmonaut, American astronaut, and Japanese space traveler rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS) this Thursday. This came following a smooth lift off from the Russian launch facility in Kazakhstan 5 hours and 45 minutes earlier, on the previous Wednesday, 2102 GMT.

After takeoff, the rocket achieved orbit roughly fifteen minutes post-launch, orbiting the planet four times before it approached the space station.

THIS TIME WE’VE SENT HUMANS

Contained in the Russian Soyuz capsule were the Russian Oleg Kononenko, Kimiya Yui from Japan, and NASA’s Kjell Lindgren. For Lindgren and Yui, this was their first time. During a press conference preceding the flight upon the Russian Soyuz, Yui informed interested parties that he’s bringing sushi with him to share with the other space travelers upon his arrival.

SUSHI RENDEZVOUS TO ENSUE ON RUSSIAN SOYUZ

These new additions to the ISS join the already present crew: Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly. Mikhail and Scott are four months in to what will have been an almost year-long mission in the ISS.

This successful Russian Soyuz launch and rendezvous with the ISS is actually the tail end of a two-month delay following a failed launch of an unmanned Russian cargo ship in April. Some system failures are always to be expected, but the Russians became concerned enough to forestall future launches pending a reassessment of their rocket design. This had left the already present crew mentioned shortly above (Padalka, Kornienko and Kelly) stuck in space with dwindling supplies until a second Russian cargo ship launched successfully earlier this July.

SPACE RIVALS

This year, it seems the Russian Space program is in better standing when it comes to orbital flights. The last Russian cargo ship successfully launched also followed the failed launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket , which exploded roughly 3 minutes after launch. SpaceX has since come to believe the explosion was caused by a steel strut holding down a bottle of high-pressure helium.

SPACE FRIENDS

Of course it’s unfortunate that three major space programs, one private and two national, happened to experience such catastrophic failures in the same few months, but with three new astronauts safely aboard the ISS, we can rest assured human space ventures will continue unheeded.

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Though without sushi, this space adventure can’t be missed:

Russian Soyuz Brings Three More Men to ISS, Sushi Ensues

What went wrong with #SpaceX #Falcon9 #rocket discovered. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/21/how-a-2-foot-strut-brought-down-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-122/

Three weeks after the SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 blew up just minutes after launch, the company believes it’s finally found the culprit — a 2-foot steel strut.

The Weakest Link

Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX, said on Monday that initial investigation has lead the company to believe that a 2-foot long steel strut is what inevitably brought down their latest unmanned rocket, the Falcon 9. This strut, measuring in at only an inch wide, had one job — to hold down a high-pressure helium bottle in the liquid oxygen tank. Engineers believe that the strut snapped, which launched the bottle to the top of the oxygen tank. The result of which can be seen here.

The faulty strut is manufactured to support 10,000 pounds of force, which is well above the 3,500 pounds of force that the struts handle during an actual launch. “The strut failed five times below its normal strength, which is crazy,” said Musk.

In the news conference, Musk iterated that these were only preliminary results and that nothing was exactly definitive yet. During the conference Musk also stated that the strut wasn’t manufactured by SpaceX and that they had tested “some enormous number” only to discover that some could only support 2,000 pounds of force. Musk declined to provide the name of the supplier.

Misplaced Confidence Could Also be the Blame

The Falcon 9’s original mission was to resupply the ISS, but also staying intact so that SpaceX could retrieve the rocket in order to reuse it. For commercial spaceflight companies, this is a way to decrease the cost of future missions. Unfortunately, this is the third time in the last eight months that the rocket has experienced a failed launch.

“To some degree the company became a little bit complacent in the course of 20 successes in a row,” said Musk. “This is certainly an important lesson and something we will take with us into the future.”

According to Musk, many of the company’s employees believed Musk was being “paranoid” by his stringent attitude towards potential flaws. A behavior that has proven to be well justified.

Looking Forward to the Future

All of SpaceX’s main systems and rocket engines are made in-house, and Marco Caceres, director of space studies for Teal Group, believes that this is an important achievement.

“There is not a fundamental flaw in the design of the rocket itself. A strut is a specific part… Going forward, they will be much more careful about testing everything that goes on the vehicle,” said Caceres.

SpaceX is currently still trying to retrieve Dragon, the cargo spacecraft attached to the Falcon 9, and currently has no plans to cease its mission, though the launch schedule will need to be revised.

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A space adventure that won’t go wrong awaits:

How a 2-Foot Strut Brought Down SpaceX"s Falcon 9 Rocket

Third time"s the charm? - http://clapway.com/2015/07/05/resupply-mission-successfully-reaches-the-iss-234/

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) breathed a collective sigh of relief after receiving much-needed supplies thanks to the ISS resupply mission.

ISS RESUPPLY MISSION SUCCESS AT LAST

Russia’s Progress 60 cargo spaceship launched atop a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:55 a.m. ET on Friday, July 3. The craft reached orbit nine minutes after launch. And it successfully docked with the ISS at 3:11 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 5.

Progress 60 delivered more than three tons of supplies including food, water, fuel, oxygen, spare parts, and experiments to the ISS.

The spacecraft will remain docked to the ISS for four months.

This successful ISS resupply mission launch and docking comes after a string of unsuccessful attempts to resupply the ISS with essential supplies.

The third time’s the charm as the say! #Progress60 arrives overnight. Great news. #YearInSpace (with supplies!) pic.twitter.com/BRRFA13ER1

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) July 5, 2015

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket broke apart shortly after launch on June 28, destroying its cargo-carrying Dragon spacecraft. A Russian Progress cargo spaceship spiraled out of control and was lost shortly after its launch in April 2015. And Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo capsule exploded just above its launch platform in October 2014.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

The station’s crew is thrilled by the successful ISS resupply mission, Progress 60 mission, describing that receiving the needed supplies feels like “Christmas in July.”

#Progress docks to Pirs docking compartment at 3:11am ET. Crew reports, “Feels like Christmas in July” pic.twitter.com/pVoGUG5aQL

— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) July 5, 2015

Because of the previous failed missions, the crew was just months away from needing to break into emergency reserve supplies.

The new supplies should be enough to sustain the station through November. The next mission to resupply the ISS is Japan’s H-II Transfer Vehicle, scheduled to launch in mid-August.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

SpaceX is still investigating the cause of the June 28 Falcon 9 failure. The private space company hopes to learn from its first failed ISS resupply attempt and continue improving its space flight capabilities.

SpaceX plans to test an in-flight abort feature to demonstrate the ability of the Dragon capsule to separate from its rocket in the event of a rocket malfunction—something that could save cargo and, eventually, astronauts’ lives, if a similar event like the June 28 ISS resupply mission rocket failure occurs.

The company recently announced that it will launch this abort test from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida instead of the originally planned location of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Orbital Sciences has essentially been grounded since the failure of its Antares rocket. But the company’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in late 2015.

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For a Space Scouts Summer Adventure review, go here:

Resupply Mission Successfully Reaches the ISS

You win some, you lose some. - http://clapway.com/2015/06/28/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-disintegrates-after-launch-234/

A SpaceX rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the morning of Sunday, June 28. But it broke apart shortly after takeoff.

FALCON 9 ROCKET EXPLODES

SpaceX is the first commercial space company to successfully deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). In 2012, the company made history when its unmanned Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS, delivered cargo, then safely returned to Earth.

The company attempted its seventh resupply mission on June 28. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off with the Dragon spacecraft at 10:21 a.m. local time. But the rocket disintegrated just minutes after takeoff, destroying Dragon and its more than two and a half tons of equipment, experiments, and supplies.

Shortly after the incident, the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, posted on Twitter, “Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data.”

Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2015

After evaluating preliminary data, Musk reported, “There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause.”

The SpaceX anomaly team will investigate the incident further to determine precisely what caused the rocket to explode.

Watched #Dragon launch from @space_station Sadly failed Space is hard Teams assess below @NASAKennedy #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/myi3col5Ix

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 28, 2015

THREE ISS SUPPLY MISSION FAILURES

This failure is SpaceX’s first failed ISS mission. But, unfortunately for the astronauts aboard the space station, this isn’t the first failed resupply mission.

Russia’s Progress cargo spaceship was lost shortly after its launch in April 2015. And Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket at Cygnus capsule broke apart near its launch platform in October 2014.

Although these missions deliver important scientific research projects to the ISS, they also supply the astronauts with important basics like food and oxygen. So the failure of these missions and the loss of necessary cargo makes things difficult for the space station’s inhabitants. The astronauts would reportedly need to tap into reserve supplies if no cargo arrives by September 2015. But two supply missions are scheduled before then.

NO LANDING TEST

Part of SpaceX’s recent mission was supposed to include an attempted vertical landing of the Falcon 9 on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean following the separation of the Dragon capsule. But, obviously, the mission didn’t get that far.

SpaceX wants to master the process of landing its rockets in order to reuse them for future missions. Reusable rockets will considerably reduce launch expenses.

The company attempted a landing in January 2015, but that attempt failed. The company tried again in April 2015 with better results. The rocket got within ten meters of its target, but it descended too hard and couldn’t stick its landing.

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For more adventures in space, see Space Scouts Summer Adventure:

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Disintegrates After Launch

#SpaceX gets the okay from #NASA for its space missions. - http://clapway.com/2015/05/18/falcon-9-rocket-a-go-for-category-2-space-missions123/

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been given the okay by NASA to be used in their Category 2 missions. The spacecraft, however, will not be used for manned missions; rather, it will be utilized for space missions that are deemed a medium risk – generally for satellite launches or cargo missions. It has taken the company three years to receive approval for the Category 2 space missions.

SpaceX is an independent, American aerospace company space agency led by Elon Musk. The first big Falcon 9 contract was back in 2012, when it was awarded the opportunity to launch Jason 3 satellites for France and the United States. Jason 3 measures the height of waves, as well as sea level, and obtains other data used for weather studies. The Falcon 9 rocket has also flown six resupply missions to the International Space Station.

The Goal of the Falcon 9 Rocket Goal To Save Money in Space

SpaceX’s goal is to make space travel less expensive by producing reliable rockets. NASA’s certification will now allow the Falcon 9 rocket to earn other kinds of contracts. In fact, another space mission in lined up for 2017, which is the Florida launching of TESS, a satellite that looks for new planets.

Other Certifications for Falcon 9 Rocket

The Falcon 9 rocket expects other types of certification in the near future, as the U.S. Air Force is predicted to give it the okay by early June to launch its national security satellites. This is a government certification so it will help SpaceX achieve its future space-related goals.

Both SpaceX and NASA, for example, have their eyes set on the exploration and possible colonization of Mars. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, has high hopes for a manned space mission to Mars by 2026. While it isn’t likely man will go to Mars onboard the Falcon 9 rocket, this rocket still marks a great achievement for SpaceX.

Falcon 9 Rocket A Go For Category 2 Space Missions