Posted on 08/21/2024 8:05:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
An explosion put a dramatic end to a test fire of a new rocket being developed by the German company Rocket Factory Augsburg.
The explosion occurred on Monday (Aug. 19) while Rocket Factory Augsbug (RFA) was test firing the first stage of its new RFA ONE rocket. The test was meant to lay the groundwork for a planned debut launch as early as this year from SaxaVord Spaceport, a new facility being developed in the Shetland Islands, around 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of the Scottish mainland.
A video published by the BBC shows the rocket engulfed in flames after an explosion from the base of the rocket. Reuters also posted a video of the explosion to X, depicting the initial moments of the explosion before flames and smoke obscure the test stand.
RFA posted a statement to X following the incident, noting that, while no personnel were injured, the anomaly "led to the loss of the stage." The company is now working with SaxaVord Spaceport to investigate and analyze the anomaly.
The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority likewise posted a statement noting that it's "in contact with those involved to make sure the industry continues to have the highest levels of safety."
SaxaVord Spaceport aims to be the first fully licensed vertical orbital launch facility in Western Europe, and received a license in late 2023 to launch up to 30 vehicles a year. Rocket Factory Augsburg aimed to be one of the first companies to launch from the new spaceport with its RFA One rocket.
RFA has conducted several previous hot fire tests, including one in May 2024 that saw the same rocket stage fire four of its nine Helix engines. It is unknown how many engines were fired in yesterday's catastrophic test.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
A rocket engine has exploded during a test at Britain's newest spaceport in the Shetland Islands.
The rocket body, developed by German start-up Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), burst into flames seconds after ignition while on the launch pad on Monday night.
The start-up said the "hot fire" test of the first stage rocket resulted in an "anomaly" and the loss of the spacecraft.Rocket engine explodes at Shetland spaceport | 1:00
The Telegraph | 5.69M subscribers | 26,006 views | August 20, 2024
Just the other day SpaceX had its 340th successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster.
SpaceX and Elon Musk make it look so easy to launch a rocket, it’s led some people to believe anyone can do it, until they try to build one and it blows up on the launch pad.
If they had some decent PR hacks they could label the explosion a “success”.
:-)
SpaceX has engine technology that is a decade ahead of the Eurotrash.
Calling Wernher von Braun
Space X went through the same growing pains with boosters blowing up.
“RFA posted a statement to X following the incident”
Oh the irony.....perhaps they should contract Elon for their aerospace work as well as social media 😏
Suddenly, being rude to Elon looks like a bad decision.
"If that thing had nine lives he just spent 'em all."
~ Cousin Eddie
The first three Falcon-1 launches catastrophically failed.
Rocket science isn’t easy.
Sounds like they need more DEI.
Yup. Just the other day a cashier started a short conversation about a space book I was getting, and my main contribution to this was, I watch the Falcon 9 launches on YT, but they go so smoothly they’re almost boring.
Generally I watch up to max Q, to see if it’s a lighter or heavier load [anecdotally the avg is 72 seconds, used to be 74, but the engines have been tweaked] then speed through to the landing burn.
No one aboard the drone barge.
No one aboard the booster.
They stick the landing something like 99% of the time.
“Once ze rockets are up, who cares where zey come down . . . . .”
While looking for something a few minutes ago, I saw that the SpaceX YT channel has a video about that fourth test flight, haven’t watched it yet.
A classic, as everything was with Tom Lehrer.
They’re often way more fun to watch. :^)
Of everyone.
Yeah but the Eurotrash have DEI hires, so there!
Gee, y’think? If the Biden junta were all about getting any given job done right, they’d worry about it. But, they’re all about getting their jackboot on our necks.
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