What To Know
- The craft was unable to perform one of the planned thrusts, the satellites were released into an orbit with a perigee (the point closest to Earth) twice as low as planned, at an altitude of 135 km.
- SpaceX teams tried to contact the satellites to command them to use their own propulsion to rise, but the Earth’s gravity proved too strong at that altitude.
- ” The US aviation regulator (FAA) announced that it was calling for an investigation, which will determine the cause of the incident and identify corrective actions.
The first stage of the rocket functioned normally, and after having fulfilled its function it detached as planned and returned to Earth. But the second stage, which continued on its way, experienced a “liquid oxygen leak”, according to a press release from Elon Musk’s company. The craft was unable to perform one of the planned thrusts, the satellites were released into an orbit with a perigee (the point closest to Earth) twice as low as planned, at an altitude of 135 km.First flight of Ariane 6: Europe’s fatal weapon against Elon Musk’s “low cost” SpaceX?SpaceX teams tried to contact the satellites to command them to use their own propulsion to rise, but the Earth’s gravity proved too strong at that altitude. “The satellites will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and disappear completely,” the company said. “They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.” The US aviation regulator (FAA) announced that it was calling for an investigation, which will determine the cause of the incident and identify corrective actions. A final report will have to be approved by the FAA. Some upcoming missions could therefore be delayed. The Falcon 9 rocket carries out resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, and also regularly transports astronauts there. The next resupply mission is scheduled for early August.
