Delta 4 launch encountered upper-stage engine issue
Posted: Sun, Oct 7, 2012, 10:20 AM ET (1420 GMT)
United Launch Alliance (ULA) confirmed late Friday that there was a problem with the upper-stage engine during Thursday's launch of a GPS satellite on a Delta 4 rocket. According to ULA, launch controllers noticed an "unexpected data signature" in the performance of the RL10 engine that powers the Delta's upper stage. The unidentified problem caused reduced thrust levels from the engine, but the upper stage was still able to release its payload, the GPS 2F-3 satellite, into the proper orbit because of design margins and propellant reserves. ULA and the engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, have created a team to investigate the anomaly. It's not clear yet if the issue will delay the launch in late October of an Atlas 5, which uses a different variant of the RL10 in its upper stage.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) confirmed late Friday that there was a problem with the upper-stage engine during Thursday's launch of a GPS satellite on a Delta 4 rocket. According to ULA, launch controllers noticed an "unexpected data signature" in the performance of the RL10 engine that powers the Delta's upper stage. The unidentified problem caused reduced thrust levels from the engine, but the upper stage was still able to release its payload, the GPS 2F-3 satellite, into the proper orbit because of design margins and propellant reserves. ULA and the engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, have created a team to investigate the anomaly. It's not clear yet if the issue will delay the launch in late October of an Atlas 5, which uses a different variant of the RL10 in its upper stage.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, March 5
AST SpaceMobile Has Big Cellular Satellite Plans for 2026. Can It Deliver?
PC Magazine — 6:26 am ET (1126 GMT) Vandenberg SFB Conducts ICBM Test Launch, Moves SpaceX Mission to Saturday
Noozhawk — 6:22 am ET (1122 GMT) Feds weigh request to change Boca Chica Beach to ‘Cyber Beach’
San Antonio Express-News — 6:21 am ET (1121 GMT) SpaceX: the final frontier of IPOs
Financial Times — 6:21 am ET (1121 GMT) Space firms to scale-up and thrive in Britain with government backing for bolder strategy
UK Space Agency — 6:20 am ET (1120 GMT) |
