What To Know
- The cause was a malfunction during the ignition of a stage of the rocket… the one responsible for launching the satellites.
- During the launch, we could see a ” buildup of fluffy white ice near the engine as it rotated in space — an unusual sight that could indicate a propellant leak “.
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The Starlink launch by the Falcon 9 on July 11 resulted in the probable loss of the satellites. Such a problem at SpaceX has become rare. On the night of July 11 to 12, SpaceX launched its famous Falcon 9 into the air to deploy 20 satellites from its network Starlink. If the process had almost become a routine mission for this New Space company, which is also continuing the successesthis time there was a big problem. The cause was a malfunction during the ignition of a stage of the rocket… the one responsible for launching the satellites. During Falcon 9’s Starlink launch tonight, the second stage engine failed to complete its second burn ” explains SpaceX on the social network X. Seasoned observers quickly understood that there was a problem. As noted Space.com“ The Falcon 9’s upper stage, which is powered by a single Merlin engine, did not appear to be operating as expected during this flight. “. During the launch, we could see a ” buildup of fluffy white ice near the engine as it rotated in space — an unusual sight that could indicate a propellant leak “. ” I have been to over 300 Falcon launches and have never seen this on the second stage. “, indicated Also from the beginning Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, commentator of space launches at NASA.
In the image on the right, ice can be seen around the second stage. This is likely a sign of an anomaly. // Source: SpaceX
Lost satellites?
The direct effect is the partial or even total failure of the mission. As a result, Starlink satellites were deployed into a lower orbit than planned. “, explains SpaceX. “Unlike an episode of Star Trek, this probably won’t work.” Of the 20 Starlink satellites deployed, SpaceX has still managed to connect to 5 of them. The teams are trying to save them by bringing them back into orbit, using their onboard ion thrusters. ” The satellite’s thrusters must raise the orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down, or they burn up “, explain SpaceX boss Elon Musk. In vain? Unlike a Star Trek episode, this probably won’t work, but it’s worth a try. ” he quips. Those with whom SpaceX has not been able to establish contact at all are lost anyway – they will burn up in the atmosphere. To go further
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