Rocket Lab identifies cause of Electron failure
Posted: Thu, Aug 6, 2020, 5:35 PM ET (2135 GMT)
Rocket Lab says a faulty electrical connection caused the failure of its Electron rocket in a launch a month ago. The company announced Friday that an investigation found that the electrical connection was "intermittently secure" during the launch, creating electrical resistance that led to heating and thermal expansion of the electrical component. That ultimately caused a disconnection in the overall electrical system, triggering a shutdown of the rocket's second stage engine. The problem was not seen in earlier launches and evaded pre-launch testing. Rocket Lab doesn't plan to make major changes to the design of Electron, but will instead improve testing and other procedures. The company expects to resume Electron launches later this month from New Zealand.
Rocket Lab says a faulty electrical connection caused the failure of its Electron rocket in a launch a month ago. The company announced Friday that an investigation found that the electrical connection was "intermittently secure" during the launch, creating electrical resistance that led to heating and thermal expansion of the electrical component. That ultimately caused a disconnection in the overall electrical system, triggering a shutdown of the rocket's second stage engine. The problem was not seen in earlier launches and evaded pre-launch testing. Rocket Lab doesn't plan to make major changes to the design of Electron, but will instead improve testing and other procedures. The company expects to resume Electron launches later this month from New Zealand.
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