FAILURE: Space One KAIROS LV second launch - December 18, 2024 (02:00 UTC)

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Stream for attempt 3:

[jcm]

Launch occurred at 0200 UTC
No problems in at least the initial ascent...

[Mark McCombs]

Tough break.  Looked good to start though.  Progress.
Couldn't tell how close they were to staging or, if that was the problem.

[russianhalo117]

Tough break.  Looked good to start though.  Progress.

Towards the end of the first stage burn the launcher was listing to one side while travelling straight. At burnout orientation control was lost.

[Mark McCombs]

Tough break.  Looked good to start though.  Progress.

Towards the end of the first stage burn the launcher was listing to one side while travelling straight. At burnout orientation control was lost.

Figured it was closed to staging.

[Asteroza]

So, possible gradual TVC failure, or if the recent Epsilon second stage test fires are any indication, a burnthru incident perhaps?

The spiral exhaust pattern, was that before or after staging?

[russianhalo117]

So, possible gradual TVC failure, or if the recent Epsilon second stage test fires are any indication, a burnthru incident perhaps?

The spiral exhaust pattern, was that before or after staging?

Burnout into coast phase the programmed staging time was never reached before the flight was terminated. The launcher appears to use the sounding rocket method of burn and coast with lower stages jettisoned upon upper stage activation and ignition.

Potentially TVC was exhausted around burnout with Upper stages not having been handed over control by the flight computer at that time.

Maybe a burn through by the way it flew straight with a controlled list until near/around the scheduled burnout time.

[Asteroza]

So, possible gradual TVC failure, or if the recent Epsilon second stage test fires are any indication, a burnthru incident perhaps?

The spiral exhaust pattern, was that before or after staging?

Burnout into coast phase the programmed staging time was never reached before the flight was terminated. The launcher appears to use the sounding rocket method of burn and coast with lower stages jettisoned upon upper stage activation and ignition.

Potentially TVC was exhausted around burnout with Upper stages not having been handed over control by the flight computer at that time.

Maybe a burn through by the way it flew straight with a controlled list until near/around the scheduled burnout time.

I thought this was an electric TVC system though...

[russianhalo117]

So, possible gradual TVC failure, or if the recent Epsilon second stage test fires are any indication, a burnthru incident perhaps?

The spiral exhaust pattern, was that before or after staging?

Burnout into coast phase the programmed staging time was never reached before the flight was terminated. The launcher appears to use the sounding rocket method of burn and coast with lower stages jettisoned upon upper stage activation and ignition.

Potentially TVC was exhausted around burnout with Upper stages not having been handed over control by the flight computer at that time.

Maybe a burn through by the way it flew straight with a controlled list until near/around the scheduled burnout time.

I thought this was an electric TVC system though...

TVC battery could have been used up due to extreme demand. Post launch conference is coming up soon in two hours or so of this posting so they might release some preliminary information.

[catdlr]

Launch (Failure) Highlight video:

[Galactic Penguin SST]

You can see from this independent angle of the launch that attitude control seems to be lost at around T+1:30. I'm not sure that's right after 1st stage burn out but it's plausible:

[russianhalo117]

[Asteroza]

Looks like the press conference started

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Key points from the press conference, or as much as I could have made it out from others’ notes: (see e.g. https://x.com/ohnuki_tsuyoshi/status/1869255776017190933 and https://x.com/nvslive/status/1869255988135825751)

* A Thrust Vector Control (TVC) failure occurred on the first stage motor nozzle at T+1:20, before 1st stage burnout (~T+1:30)

* 1st stage separation (T+2:21), 2nd stage ignition (T+2:22) & fairing separation (T+2:48) did occur.

* FTS was activated at T+3:07 after the vehicle strayed off course towards the west, at about 100 km altitude. Maximum altitude reached was 110.7 km.

* 1st stage SRM burn itself was normal.

* Space One themselves have set some “stage goals” for the KAIROS flight test(s), this time completing up to Stage 3 (fairing separation).

[Satori]

Did anyone get the name of the fifth satellite on board?

[StraumliBlight]

Did anyone get the name of the fifth satellite on board?

Second Kairos launch fails

This launch was carrying five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency and Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics and Terra Space, as well as a customer that Space One said wished to remain anonymous.

[mn]

So the TVC failed on the 1st, but it seems it was the 2nd stage that went off course?

(If it was already off course after the TVC failure, wouldn't the FTS have triggered then?)

[edkyle99]

So the TVC failed on the 1st, but it seems it was the 2nd stage that went off course?

(If it was already off course after the TVC failure, wouldn't the FTS have triggered then?)

Vehicle was spiraling during the 52 second coast between first stage burnout and second stage ignition, but was probably close to planned velocity and direction at that point because the issue only appeared during the final seconds of the first stage burn.  When Stage 2 ignited, the rocket may still have been spiraling, magnifying the disparity.  (Also, of course, the velocity loss would be magnified as time passed.)  I'm not sure how the vehicle is controlled during coast, but the spiral did not appear to be being damped out.

 - Ed Kyle

[sandha]

* FTS was activated at T+3:07 after the vehicle strayed off course towards the west, at about 100 km altitude. Maximum altitude reached was 110.7 km.

It's my impression that the Flight Termination System is automatic (seems to recall something to this effect during the earlier March llaunch attempt). Is this still true on the second launch? Also, regarding the quoted 110.7 km figure, I wonder if this was the altitude at which flight termination occurred or does it include altitude gained post-termination due to residual upward velocity and recorded by the instruments?

[Asteroza]

There was an interesting comment elsewhere of possible ejecta at T+33secs. If people have access to high rez videos from multiple angles, can anyone confirm? There seems to rumors of nozzle damage as well, which fits with the TVC being overworked (and finally giving up) hypothesis...