Water blamed for Ariane 5 failure
Posted: Wed, Jan 9, 2002, 8:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
Engineers have traced the failure of an Ariane 5 last year to water in an upper stage engine, Space News reported Tuesday. Tests of the Aestus upper stage engine in Germany have revealed that traces of water in the plumbing of the Aestus upper stage engine caused a "combustion instability" that reduced the engine's thrust, placing the booster's payload into an orbit lower than planned. The engine is routinely filled with water for hydraulics tests during assembly, and Arianespace officials believe the engine was not properly dried out before use. The July 2001 launch failure stranded two satellites, BSAT-2b and Artemis, into low orbits. Artemis is moving into geosynchronous orbit using its own thrusters, while BSAT-2b was written off as a total loss. Arianespace plans to return the Ariane 5 to service in late February with the launch of ESA's Envisat earth sciences spacecraft.
Engineers have traced the failure of an Ariane 5 last year to water in an upper stage engine, Space News reported Tuesday. Tests of the Aestus upper stage engine in Germany have revealed that traces of water in the plumbing of the Aestus upper stage engine caused a "combustion instability" that reduced the engine's thrust, placing the booster's payload into an orbit lower than planned. The engine is routinely filled with water for hydraulics tests during assembly, and Arianespace officials believe the engine was not properly dried out before use. The July 2001 launch failure stranded two satellites, BSAT-2b and Artemis, into low orbits. Artemis is moving into geosynchronous orbit using its own thrusters, while BSAT-2b was written off as a total loss. Arianespace plans to return the Ariane 5 to service in late February with the launch of ESA's Envisat earth sciences spacecraft.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, June 24
Rakuten to Launch Japan’s 1st Domestic Smartphone Satellite Communication Network, Aiming to Compete with Starlink
Yomiuri Shimbun — 6:28 am ET (1028 GMT) Falcon 9 Launch of Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg SFB Scheduled for Wednesday Night
KEYT-TV Santa Barbara, CA — 6:28 am ET (1028 GMT) SpaceX launch planned for Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 6:26 am ET (1026 GMT) Space Force must prepare for all-out warfare, think tank says
Defense One — 6:26 am ET (1026 GMT) War games in orbit: Rocket Lab shows US Space Force it's good to go
Radio New Zealand — 6:25 am ET (1025 GMT) |
