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Rocket Lab identifies faulty electrical connector as cause of launch failure
SpaceFlightNow ^ | 07/31/2020 | Stephen Clark

Posted on 08/01/2020 5:26:07 PM PDT by BenLurkin

A detached electrical connector on the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket caused a failure on a July 4 mission that destroyed seven small commercial satellites, but the company said Friday it is on track to resume launching before the end of August.

Once the electrical system disconnected in flight, it cut power from the rocket’s battery to the electric turbopumps on the Electron’s second stage Rutherford engine. That caused the engine to switch off prematurely around five-and-a-half minutes after the rocket took off from Rocket Lab’s launch base in New Zealand.

The early engine shutdown prevented the rocket from reaching the velocity necessary to enter a stable orbit around Earth, according to Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, a small satellite launch company headquartered in Long Beach, California.

But telemetry continued streaming from the launch vehicle back to Rocket Lab’s control center in Auckland, New Zealand, allowing engineers to analyze data and determine the cause of the failure. The kerosene-fueled second stage engine shut down in a controlled manner, and the rocket coasted to an altitude of around 121 miles (195 kilometers) before re-entering the atmosphere and burning up.

The faulty connector evaded Rocket Lab’s pre-flight testing procedures.

“Basically, you could define it as really a thermal fault,” Beck said. “So while all of that testing showed no issues, after a period of time, one of the joints had a higher resistance, and that higher resistance led to heating.

“That heating then led to thermal expansion of one of the components,” he said. “That thermal expansion and heating allowed some of the potting compounds around that joint — (intended) to keep it secure from vibration — to flow.”

(Excerpt) Read more at spaceflightnow.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: electricalconnector; failure; launch; rocketlab

1 posted on 08/01/2020 5:26:07 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

2 posted on 08/01/2020 5:39:43 PM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: BenLurkin
Once the electrical system disconnected in flight, it cut power from the rocket’s battery to the electric turbopumps on the Electron’s second stage Rutherford engine.


3 posted on 08/01/2020 5:45:08 PM PDT by Moonman62 (http://www.freerepublic.com/~moonman62/)
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To: BenLurkin
'The Electron is designed to deliver payloads of up to 330 pounds (150 kilograms) into a polar orbit some 310 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth.'

That's three Nancy Pelosis or half a Gerrold Nadler. Who's up for some amateur rocketry?

4 posted on 08/01/2020 6:16:10 PM PDT by Viking2002 ("If a really stupid person becomes senile......how can you tell?" - George Carlin)
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To: BenLurkin

Redundecy, what redundecy old timer. You NASA guys.....sheesh!


5 posted on 08/01/2020 6:37:17 PM PDT by DAC21
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To: BenLurkin
Sabotage?
6 posted on 08/01/2020 7:41:16 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Cultural Marxism is the cult of the Left waiting for the Mothership.)
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To: BenLurkin

So many moving parts, and they all have to synchronize perfectly or kaboom. Rocket science truly is ... rocket science.


7 posted on 08/01/2020 7:45:25 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: jonrick46
The faulty connector evaded Rocket Lab’s pre-flight testing procedures. “Basically, you could define it as really a thermal fault,” Beck said. “So while all of that testing showed no issues, after a period of time, one of the joints had a higher resistance, and that higher resistance led to heating. “That heating then led to thermal expansion of one of the components,” he said. “That thermal expansion and heating allowed some of the potting compounds around that joint — (intended) to keep it secure from vibration — to flow.”

Sabotage?

Only if Rocket Lab failed to pay tribute to the orbital gatekeepers who can cause 'failures' on demand. Just a little laser making it hot and then pop.

8 posted on 08/02/2020 12:27:20 AM PDT by eldoradude (Boycott Chinese made goods)
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To: BenLurkin

Connector made in China and bought on eBay?


9 posted on 08/02/2020 12:39:10 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (China kills almost 700,000 and the sheeple sleep. Cops kill one person, and cities burn.)
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To: BenLurkin

Space is hard. But some exciting stuff going on now. First astronaut splashdown since 1975 tomorrow. SpaceX likely to hop their full-scale Starship prototype in the next few days. Latest Mars rover on its way.


10 posted on 08/02/2020 12:45:10 AM PDT by Dagnabitt
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