SpaceX: Falcon 9 Hotfire Updates

[ugordan]

It is my sincere hope that SpaceX is successful, and it is certainly no surprise that the Falcon 9 team has encountered technical problems with a new nine-engine booster. However, a steady flow of reliable information about the status of this program - which is now being funded by taxpayers - is imperative to maintain good public relations. There is no excuse for the silence today from the SpaceX operation.

Do you hold Orbital to the same standards? How many tests, issues and failures they show you, live ? It takes SpaceX more than this to issue a release on a success, let alone a setback.

[Avron]

All in all .. my congrats to SpaceX on their first testfire of the Newest North American space vehicle at the Cape.. .. lets all be happy this is happening here and on some distant soil ..

Looking forward to the 9 engine test run at 3.5 secs... maybe that will wake up a few...

[Sen]

It is my sincere hope that SpaceX is successful, and it is certainly no surprise that the Falcon 9 team has encountered technical problems with a new nine-engine booster. However, a steady flow of reliable information about the status of this program - which is now being funded by taxpayers - is imperative to maintain good public relations. There is no excuse for the silence today from the SpaceX operation.

Really? Its been what three hours? I imagine they are pouring through the data trying to figure out exactly what went wrong and why. The rocket is still on the pad so we arent even to the take a look in the hangar phase yet. What do you want, an imediate press release and an apology for not having it ready to go before they actually tested. How dare they have an issue during testing, and double how dare they not satisify your arbetrary standards. 

[ugordan]

Absolutely - especially since both propose replacing the existing manned spaceflight procurement regime with their untested programs!

Then don't you find it interesting they weren't exactly forthcoming either when it was leaked AJ-26 engine had test problems a few months ago. Someone might say we are entitled to know that. Are we really?

Neither company is 100% financed by NASA so it's not responsible for releasing every bit of information us outsiders would like to know. I would wager there was no such contract point in either their COTS or CRS papers.

[Coolhand77]

Just noticed a fire and gray smoke coming up near the base of the rocket (5:10 pm Eastern). I'd noticed it this morning prior to the test also and thought it was maybe a controlled burn to clear some brush before the test.

I now think it was the loading of the TEA-TEB this morning and this is just dumping the remaining TEA-TEB from the engines.

[elnino99]

It is my sincere hope that SpaceX is successful, and it is certainly no surprise that the Falcon 9 team has encountered technical problems with a new nine-engine booster. However, a steady flow of reliable information about the status of this program - which is now being funded by taxpayers - is imperative to maintain good public relations. There is no excuse for the silence today from the SpaceX operation.

Really? Its been what three hours? I imagine they are pouring through the data trying to figure out exactly what went wrong and why. The rocket is still on the pad so we arent even to the take a look in the hangar phase yet. What do you want, an imediate press release and an apology for not having it ready to go before they actually tested. How dare they have an issue during testing, and double how dare they not satisify your arbetrary standards. 

I didn't demand or expect a detailed explanation. But the company is using a public launch site for an announced test, and certainly has had the time to issue a short statement stating the basic facts! This behavior is BAD PR that will not help them win friends or influence decisionmakers.

[Ronsmytheiii]

I will say one thing, she could be heard from the visitor's complex

Was it really a bang or a short rumble?

Too long to be a bang but too short to be a rumble, more like a long yell.

[mr. mark]

Funny, I thought this was a science based website not a political one. Well, hopefully Spacex will learn from this test as they did from Falcon 1. Kind of funny these same complainers were not complaining when Falcon 1 went through it's initial round of testing. Spacex is current working to fulfill the cargo end of it's contract with NASA, not a manned spaceflight program. There is only a budget proposal, not a budget for NASA based commercial manned spaceflight yet. There is no need to argue over the politics of this.   

[ugordan]

Strongback moving in now.

[Chris Bergin]

I wouldn't expect much PR on this, as they only have one person (nice lady too) as their media relations dept. NASA has about 100 PAOers, and a lot of them either have their hands tied or come across as useless.

They probably thought there wouldn't be much interest in the static fire (and I'm shocked this is nearly a 20,000 viewed thread when only SFN could cover it due to having a camera there), thus the lack of a webcast (which is dirt cheap/free to set up), along with hardly any media notification via the usual route. But the alternative option of armwaving about it, and then having a problem, wouldn't of been clever for a commercial company.

I'd cut them some slack, as the test will be how approachable they'll be on a regular basis in the future, such as ahead of the launch.

----

The shuttle's still more interesting though

[neilh]

Absolutely - especially since both propose replacing the existing manned spaceflight procurement regime with their untested programs!

Then don't you find it interesting they weren't exactly forthcoming either when it was leaked AJ-26 engine had test problems a few months ago. Someone might say we are entitled to know that. Are we really?

Neither company is 100% financed by NASA so it's not responsible for releasing every bit of information us outsiders would like to know. I would wager there was no such contract point in either their COTS or CRS papers.

One could also mention about how long it took for NASA to come forward with full details about its failures with the Orion parachute test and the various problems on the Ares I-X, despite having public relations teams a couple orders of magnitude larger than SpaceX's

[stockman]

Strongback moving in now.

[Chris Bergin]

Moved the last seven posts into the SpaceX Discussion thread, as they weren't about the test fire.

However, given they've not sucessfully carried that out yet, we'll leave this thread open for the next attempt.

[Sen]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6284FT20100309

     Funny, reading that article one could have the impression the test was smooth and successful. It didnt seem that way watching it...

[Robotbeat]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6284FT20100309

     Funny, reading that article one could have the impression the test was smooth and successful. It didnt seem that way watching it...

I don't know. The article used words like "the test was supposed to last 3.5 seconds", etc. It doesn't say anything that isn't true. I guess, it also doesn't have anyone's specific spin, so that might be something to complain about .

[Sen]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6284FT20100309

     Funny, reading that article one could have the impression the test was smooth and successful. It didnt seem that way watching it...

I don't know. The article used words like "the test was supposed to last 3.5 seconds", etc. It doesn't say anything that isn't true. I guess, it also doesn't have anyone's specific spin, so that might be something to complain about .

hehe. It was like information cotton candy. could have been written last week.

[SpacexULA]

I didn't demand or expect a detailed explanation. But the company is using a public launch site for an announced test, and certainly has had the time to issue a short statement stating the basic facts! This behavior is BAD PR that will not help them win friends or influence decisionmakers.

Official company news does not come on your twitter time scale.  They likely don't know what happened yet with 100% assurance, when they do, and if they decide to share it they will.

YOU are not the customer, NASA is.  It would be fully within the right of SpaceX to only give updates to NASA, and then let them distribute the information (AKA you would find out weeks later).

There is precedent, neither NASA nor SpaceX always announce COTS milestone payments.

[telomerase99]

The article in Reuters seems to state that the maiden flight is a sole project of SpaceX. I was under the impression that an unnamed government (dod) customer was financing this launch...?

[Orbiter]

SpaceX released statement

"Today SpaceX performed our first Static Fire for the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. We counted down to T-2 seconds and aborted on Spin Start. Given that this was our first abort event on this pad, we decided to scrub for the day to get a good look at the rocket before trying again. Everything looks great at first glance." 

"We completed pad preps on time and with good execution. The integrated countdown with the range included holdfire checks, S-band telemetry, C-band, and FTS simulated checks. We completed helium, liquid oxygen (LOX), and fuel loads to within tenths of a percent of T-zero conditions. Tanks pressed nominally and we passed all Terminal count, flight software, and ground software abort checks right down to T-2 seconds. We encountered a problem with the spin start system and aborted nominally." 

"As part of the abort, we close the pre-valves to isolate the engines from the propellant tank and purge the residual propellants. The brief flames seen on the video are burn off of LOX and kerosene on the pad. The engines did not ignite and there was no engine fire." 

"We detanked and safed the vehicle and launch pad. Preliminary review shows all other systems required to reach full ignition were within specification.  All other pad systems worked nominally. Inspections will be complete tonight.  Tomorrow will consist of data review and procedure updates. Commodities will be replenished tomorrow including TEA-TEB load, LOX and helium deliveries." 

"We'll look to do the next static fire attempt in three or four days."

Seems like they got cold-feet, which with all that's riding on this launch including the future of American Human space flight that's very understandable, I would have done the same thing. But sooner or later, as said with Al Shepard 'Lets light this candle'

Orbiter

[robertross]

Seems like they got cold-feet, which with all that's riding on this launch including the future of American Human space flight that's very understandable, I would have done the same thing.

Orbiter

Nah...I'm glad everything worked on the abort. First sign of a good system AFAIK. I wish them all the best in the next attempt.

But it proves a point that there is a learning curve here that MUST be taken into account for all new systems. And like shuttle, you have to always keep on top of them: it's part of the business or it will bite you.

So we need to be mindful to hope for the best, expect the worst, and cut them some slack.