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After an anomaly led to an engine RUD during its latest Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX has shared that it managed to successfully 'safe' the second stage. The Falcon 9 second stage's Merlin 1D engine experienced a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) or was destroyed in space after it failed to start a burn to raise the rocket's orbit. In a statement earlier today, SpaceX shared that a leak in the Falcon 9 second stage's liquid oxygen tank caused the accident and outlined that the second stage managed to "passivate" itself based on the parameters at the end of every mission.
SpaceX Stresses Falcon 9 Second Stage Was Disposed Off Normally Following Engine RUD
The Falcon 9's rare failure, seven years after its last accident, also comes at a time when SpaceX aimed to push the limit of its first stage boosters and launch manifest. Over the course of this year, company executives have stressed that they aim to fly at least 140 missions in 2024 - for a new record and an average of roughly three launches a week. However, as the Falcon 9 is now grounded pending an FAA investigation, it is unlikely that SpaceX will meet this goal despite having launched 70 missions to date to almost stay on track for its goal by the end of H1 2024.
As opposed to Musk's comments made soon after the anomaly, which shared that the Falcon 9's second stage engine had experienced a RUD, SpaceX's statement is benign. In it, the firm shares that while the second stage's Merlin vacuum engine successfully lit up after stage separation, during the second burn to raise the rocket's orbit, it "experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete" the burn.
The next bit goes on to highlight that while the second stage "survived" and was able to deploy the satellite, but it remains silent about the engine's state after its 'anomaly.'
SpaceX adds that it successfully 'passivated' the second stage according to the parameters followed after every mission. Passivation, in rocketry, is analogous to 'safing' a rocket. It requires engineers to ensure that no explosive materials remain inside the rocket or a second stage before it enters the Earth's atmosphere.
Since the second stage was slated to perform a second burn, it is likely that kerosene was present inside it after the anomaly, which, according to SpaceX, occurred because of a liquid oxygen leak. Passivation ensures that the rocket or a satellite does not explode during reentry to rain debris on Earth.
As for the Starlink satellites, SpaceX outlines that they do not pose a threat either to the public or to other spacecraft in orbit. The engine failure marks the end of the firm's record setting 364 successful Falcon 9 first and second stage launches - the first in human history. With the rocket being grounded by the FAA for the time being, key NASA crew and cargo missions, as well as SpaceX's upcoming private mission to space with the Polaris Program, are now in limbo.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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