Despite Failure, Launch a ‘Success’

Last week’s launch failure of the experimental Falcon 1 rocket was caused by the vehicle’s oscillation at five times the expected rate, according to a preliminary report made public Wednesday by El Segundo-based Space Exploration Technologies.

The oscillation led to a fuel problem that starved the engine and caused it to shut down during the second boost stage.

Despite the incomplete test launch, the rocket developer also known as SpaceX plans to proceed with the operational launch of a Navy satellite scheduled for late summer and a Malaysian satellite expected to go up in November, company founder Elon Musk said in a post on the firm’s Internet site.

Last week’s launch occurred from the Omelek Island launch pad on the Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It came nearly a year after the Falcon 1′s maiden flight exploded soon after liftoff.

While the March 20 test launch failed to reach orbit, Musk dubbed the mission a "near complete success."

"Having had several days to examine the data, the second test launch of Falcon 1 is looking increasingly positive … Test flights are used to gather data before flying a ‘real’ satellite and the degree of success is a function of how much data is gathered," Musk wrote in his Internet post.

The flight provided "excellent data," Musk added. He said that the rocket’s second stage functioned well enough to deploy a ring that simulated the mass of a real satellite.

Musk said he will define success differently for upcoming operational launches.

"Let me be clear here and now that anything less than orbit for that (Navy) flight or any Falcon 1 mission with an operational satellite will unequivocally be considered a failure," he said. Musk said the collected launch data will allow SpaceX to deal with the fuel problem "in short order."

Last week, the Falcon 1 reached a velocity of 11,000 mph, less than the 17,000 mph needed to reach orbit. The rocket did achieve altitude of 180 miles, which is enough for orbit and "is about where the Space Shuttle enters its initial parking orbit," Musk said.

SpaceX has 11 missions planned including the TacSat 1 satellite for the Navy, which has a launch window starting in September, and the Razaksat satellite for the Malaysian Space Agency in November.

Musk, who made a fortune from Internet ventures, spent about $100 million of his own funds to start SpaceX with the goal of developing low-cost rockets. SpaceX has valued the Falcon 1 launch at about $7 million, much less than that of any other rockets operating today.

muhammed.el-hasan@dailybreeze.com