Rocket 'terminated' in fiery explosion over Pacific Ocean:
A privately designed, unmanned rocket built to carry satellites was destroyed in an explosive fireball after suffering an "anomaly" off the California coast during its first attempt at reaching Earth's orbit.
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket was "terminated" over the Pacific Ocean shortly after its 6:59 p.m. Thursday liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to a base statement. Video from the San Luis Obispo Tribune showed the explosion.
Firefly said an "anomaly" occurred during the first-stage ascent that "resulted in the loss of the vehicle" about two minutes, 30 seconds into the flight. Vandenberg said a team of investigators will try to determine what caused the failure.
The rocket was carrying a payload called DREAM, or the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission. It consisted of items from schools and other institutions, including small satellites and several demonstration spacecraft.
"While we did not meet all of our mission objectives, we did achieve a number of them: successful first stage ignition, liftoff of the pad, progression to supersonic speed, and we obtained a substantial amount of flight data," Firefly said in a statement. The information will be applied to future missions.
[...] Standing 95 feet (26 meters) high, the two-stage Alpha is designed to carry up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of payload into low orbit. The company wants to be capable of launching Alphas twice a month. Launches would have a starting price of $15 million, according to Firefly.
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Sunday evening's launch will be the second orbital flight attempt for Firefly's Alpha rocket:
Firefly Aerospace will take another crack at reaching orbit on Sunday (Sept. 11), and you can watch it live.
The Texas-based company plans to launch its Alpha rocket on a test mission from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday (Sept. 11) at 6 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. local California time; 2200 GMT). You can watch the liftoff via Firefly and its livestream partner, EverydayAstronaut.com ; Space.com will carry that webcast as well, if possible.
This will be Alpha's second attempt to make it to orbit. The first try, which launched from Vandenberg on Sept. 2, 2021, ended in a dramatic fireball after the 95-foot-tall (29 meters) rocket suffered a major anomaly.
Related:
Northrop Grumman Picks Firefly to Replace Russian Engines on Antares Rocket
Rocket 'Terminated' in Fiery Explosion Over Pacific Ocean
Firefly's Alpha rocket reaches orbit on second launch
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha launch vehicle reached orbit on its second launch Oct. 1, more than a year after the vehicle's first launch failed.
The Alpha rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:01 a.m. Eastern. The rocket's upper stage achieved orbit nearly eight minutes later. After a circularization burn, the upper stage deployed its payloads, and Firefly declared "100% Mission success" about one hour and 45 minutes after liftoff.
[...] The "To The Black" test flight carried several satellites to be deployed into a 300-kilometer orbit inclined at 137 degrees. The Teachers in Space – Serenity 3U cubesat is designed to collect basic flight data for use by educators. NASA's TechEdSat-15 3U cubesat includes several technology demonstration payloads, such as an "exo-brake" intended to provide a targeted reentry of the cubesat. A PicoBus deployer carried six PocketQube satellites for AMSAT Spain, Fossa and Libra Space Foundation.
Firefly, Millennium Space selected for U.S. Space Force rapid-launch demonstration
The U.S. Space Systems Command announced Sept. 30 it selected Firefly Space Transport Services and Millennium Space Systems to conduct a demonstration of a rapid-response space mission to low Earth orbit in 2023.
The companies will perform a Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission as part of a broader effort by the U.S. Space Force to accelerate the timeline for deploying payloads to orbit.
Previously: Rocket 'Terminated' in Fiery Explosion Over Pacific Ocean (2021)
Northrop Grumman Picks Firefly to Replace Russian Engines on Antares Rocket
Watch Firefly Aerospace Try to Reach Orbit for 1st Time Sunday
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @06:14PM (21 children)
are these characters responsible for going and getting their debris from the ocean or they are just allowed to pollute the shit out of it for free?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @06:25PM
FAA regulates what is above, not what is below...
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @06:33PM
Why do you hate our freedumbs/America? If we don't see it, obviously it's not a problem. You're clearly one of 'em cummonosts like fox tells me people like you are.
How dare you infringe of The Corporation's God-given right to make this planet an uninhabitable wasteland by polluting the fuck out of it...
(Score: 1) by Catalyst on Monday September 06 2021, @07:15PM
They want all the parts to study, don't worry.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 06 2021, @07:20PM (3 children)
Considering all the junk that's been dumped in the ocean. The rocket's rapid disassembly over the Ocean is a drop in the bucket. How many tons of lead have been lost in the Ocean in the Pirate heyday? How much radiation is still in the environment from Nuclear tests? How much oil is still just kind of floating around, because you just can't get it all, when you clean up an oil spill? At least the explosion should have helped burn up some of the worst offenders. At some point, you're just yelling. In the event that you think the planet and animals are more important than human life, you've become a PETA / Environmental fanatic. Yes, we need to learn from our mistakes and provide reasonable consequences for bad offenders. What we don't need to do is try to claw our way back to pre-industrial standards. Otherwise known as Dictators doing whatever they want, because they own the people, land, and resources. Just look at our most recent history, it's checkered with labor rights, civil rights, and religious freedom movements. Yes, we want good laws and we want to have a livable planet for our great-great grandchildren. Shaking your fist at the corporations that are abiding by the law, isn't necessarily helpful.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @07:28PM (2 children)
Or how about all of the non-reusable rockets that have been dumped in the ocean.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 06 2021, @07:41PM (1 child)
True, but we've not launched all that many rockets. Thus, in comparison the "rocket pollution" isn't that big of deal compared to other types of pollution. Sure, we don't want to end up with a toxic ocean, but it's not an impending apocalypse. I don't know about you, but while Air Conditioning produces a lot of waste, it sure is nice. What about indoor plumbing? Why not shared bathrooms with the neighborhood? It would be more efficient. At some point, people want their own slice of the pie.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @10:54AM
OP's complaint was about a rocket being dumped into the ocean, which was business as usual for decades.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @07:28PM (2 children)
Report them to Texas for aborting the launch.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 06 2021, @07:50PM (1 child)
Aborting the launch is okay. Saying oops, just kidding, isn't.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @04:06AM
Uh, no abortion allowed. There's a culture war to be fought and we need all the precious white babies we can produce.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @07:31PM (9 children)
No, no, no. That is not how it works.
Then, clean up?
No way!
YOU _must_ save the planet, eat less/no meat, drive an EV, pay carbon taxes, etc.
Them. Hahahaha ... never!!
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 06 2021, @07:59PM
Just look at the "water conservation" efforts in California for a clue as to how well that goes.
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/07/08/as-drought-conditions-intensify-governor-newsom-calls-on-californians-to-take-simple-actions-to-conserve-water/ [ca.gov]
https://cwc.ca.gov/-/media/CWC-Website/Files/Documents/2019/06_June/June2019_Item_12_Attach_2_PPICFactSheets.pdf?la=en&hash=E233EA870DFB826F235B258177849300179E1B64 [ca.gov]
10% of water use is Urban. I mean, people gotta eat, so Agricultural use is good, but a 15% reduction in Urban use is 4X less than a 15% reduction in Agricultural use. Increasing Agricultural efficiency of water use has the potential for much higher water savings.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @08:08PM (7 children)
> YOU _must_ save the planet, eat less/no meat, drive an EV, pay carbon taxes, etc.
Then YOU must pray to the sky lord, follow His inerrant word and stop touching your pee pee.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Monday September 06 2021, @08:20PM (3 children)
If Sky Lord didn't want me to touch my pee-pee, he wouldn't have put it within reach. Idjit.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @10:28PM
Given the reproductive importance God just wanted you to keep it clean. Not his fault you take advantage of the gifts he gave you!
https://lmgtfy.app/?qtype=search&t=w&q=every+sperm+is+sacred+monty+python [lmgtfy.app]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @04:08AM (1 child)
OK you can touch it but don't make it spill seed. Sky Lord is srs about that.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday September 07 2021, @02:35PM
Moist readers of Genesis 38:8-10 take the lesson that it is perfectly okay for Onan to sleep with his dead brother's wife as much as he wants, as long as he makes sure to get her pregnant. Not getting her pregnant was his crime. Something that backward hick states seem to understand well.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @12:49AM (2 children)
Quite the elastic jump you made there - from the far-left green commy agenda all the way to the frothing right-wing tele-evangelist side. Impressive. 9.5 and on your way to Olympic Gold.
Meanwhile the real problem is these mega-corporations messing up the world with no consequences or accountability.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @04:10AM (1 child)
Mega corporations can't vote. Now what?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday September 07 2021, @02:38PM
They also can't get the death penalty. Nor can they get a spanking. Courts can't even give them a financial penalty that results in any learning taking place.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 4, Touché) by crafoo on Monday September 06 2021, @09:22PM
The aborted over their first (of 2) designated zones OK'ed by the FAA.
If you're actually concerned about water quality, pay more taxes and demand better water treatment plants for your daily shits. So much barely-treated sewage is released into bays and rivers on every coastline. It's foul and disgusting.
(Score: 3, Offtopic) by Gaaark on Monday September 06 2021, @07:48PM
"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Monday September 06 2021, @08:18PM (4 children)
There's a very good reason rockets that are supposed to go into orbit start towards the east.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 06 2021, @09:30PM (3 children)
Polar orbits are launched slightly retrograde to counter the rotation of the Earth and that is easier to do from California than Florida.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Monday September 06 2021, @10:16PM (2 children)
While this is true, I must have missed the part where they tried to launch into a polar orbit. It sounded more like they're taking their first steps at launching rockets, wouldn't it make more sense to do it the "easy" way first before trying to throw a curve ball?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @12:28AM
The difference is only about 450 m/s. If you can put a tonne into equatorial LEO, you can probably put 800 kg into polar orbit. It was a bunch of university projects, so they probably wanted polar orbits to monitor stuff like the ice caps.
Since it was a test/demo flight anyway, they might as well save themselves a trip across the country, and simultaneously give the kids the orbits they wanted. Win-win (until it blew up).
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 07 2021, @12:46AM
Their target market is small-sats, so payload capacity to SSO (a specific polar orbit) is what they are interested in. That is why all of Astra's test launches have been polar as well.