A devastating explosion occurred at Blue Origin’s launch site on May 28, leaving the company with a significant setback. The incident bears an uncanny resemblance to a similar explosion that occurred nearly a decade ago at SpaceX’s launch pad in Florida.
To better understand the difficulties Blue Origin faces, Ars spoke with several SpaceX veterans who experienced a similar incident in 2016. The AMOS-6 failure led to the destruction of a Falcon 9 rocket, much of its launch site, and an attached satellite. At the time, NASA was counting on the Falcon 9 to return its capability to launch humans.
According to Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability at the time, it took several weeks to identify the failure in the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket that caused the explosion. The investigation involved a grid-by-grid examination of debris, cataloging recovered materials, and launch site remediation.
The process was long and arduous, with SpaceX engineers spending four months redesigning the launch pad. Trip Harriss, who managed the Falcon 9 fleet operations in 2016, said everyone at the company pitched in to support the investigation and then the reconstruction of the SLC-40 pad. The search for debris lasted from shortly after the explosion until early October, when efforts had to be abandoned due to the approach of the powerful Hurricane Matthew.
Launch pads are among the most complex pieces of infrastructure involved in sending a rocket into space. They require a lot of ‘brain’ and ‘brawn,’ as evidenced by the need for tall and strong steel launch towers. Then there’s the large amount of concrete used for the foundation, flame trench, and surrounding areas.
The explosion at Blue Origin’s launch site was particularly concerning due to the destruction of one of its massive launch towers and the apparent damage to the other. The concrete underneath the rocket also appears to have collapsed in some places.
From a structural standpoint, there is likely a significant amount of work ahead for Blue Origin. But launch sites are about much more than just concrete and steel. There is an incredible amount of electrical wiring involved, as well as sophisticated systems for fueling, propellant management, and communication.
To rebuild its launch pad, Blue Origin will need to be transparent with NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the cause of the failure. Koenigsmann urges the company to study and take apart the physical evidence as soon as possible to identify the causes of failure.
The process is not only time-consuming but also requires significant resources. Blue Origin will need to deploy drones, aircraft with sensitive equipment, and possibly even submersibles to locate and recover debris.
In conclusion, rebuilding Blue Origin’s launch pad after the recent test failure will be a challenging task ahead for the company.
Source: Original article