SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Suffers in Earth’s Orbit
Written and Edited By: Mohit Prathipati & Cristina Martinez, Editorial Co-Directors, NexStudent Network
Falcon 9 was deployed last Thursday, July 11. Its goal was to set twenty of Starlink’s satellites in orbit. However, due to engine failure, it failed to do so. The exact location of the satellites is still uncertain, leading to an investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What is Falcon 9?
Falcon 9 is a 70-meter world’s first reusable rocket designed by a private spacecraft company, SpaceX, in 2010. It is built to transport humans, satellites, and payloads “to the orbit and beyond” (SpaceX). With over 350 launches, the Falcon 9 is one of the most reliable and reusable two-stage rocket. The first stage contains nine rocket engines and the second stage holds a single vacuum rocket engine. The first stage is the “boosting” where it increases velocity. The second stage is where it accelerates (Britannica) It is also one of the most reused rockets, with over 65 launches only halfway through the year.
A Launch Imbued With Innovation
Since 2010 when the rocket first launched, SpaceX has played an important role in space exploration. In 2012, it became the first to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) via a commercial rocket. Later on, in 2020, it achieved yet another milestone. It became the first commercially launched rocket that carried humans into orbit (SpaceX). This success can be attributed in part to Falcon 9’s reusability. The reusability of Falcon 9 is greatly beneficial because it can provide cost reductions, and increase environmental sustainability, and operational efficiency.
The rocket has two stages. SpaceX uses the first stage to keep on reusing the rocket. This helps avoid any debris that might have fallen into the ocean or in orbit. Thanks to the reusability of the rocket, SpaceX is capable of reducing its expenses for space travel. As such, space exploration can become more accessible and readily available.
And as previously mentioned, less debris will be littered on or around Earth. This helps signify a positive environmental effect. It brings a sustainable aspect to SpaceX and its rocket, Falcon 9. Overall, the rocket helps display that space travel is becoming more environmentally friendly. It is a part of many other projects that lead us into a more sustainable future.
Additionally, SpaceX can save on time, labor, and material thanks to the very important and highlighted reusability feature of the rocket. By focusing on the first stage, SpaceX can focus its resources on rebuilding that stage. In contrast, if the rocket weren’t reusable, then money and labor would go into building a new rocket that would go out into space each time. In all, being able to balance the social, economic, and environmental factors of the rocket, is a great example of the triple bottom line. By aligning with the framework, more sustainable practices can be made possible in the aerospace industry.
What is the triple bottom line?
It’s a framework used by businesses to evaluate its impact and connection with three central principles. Using economic, environmental, and social impacts, it measures a company’s sustainable approach toward long-term success while benefitting communities and ecosystems connected to their operations.
The Fiasco Behind its Failure
After the launch, the first stage accomplished its task successfully, however, the second stage had some uncommon complications. At first, the second stage started off fine with its initial burn but soon oxygen leaked resulting in its failure. Due to the leak, the Merlin engine, the rocket engine used in Falcon 9, had trouble with its second burn. Even with these complications, the satellites were released, but could not circularize its orbit (SpaceX).
Even though SpaceX’s team worked their best to send self-destroy commands to the satellites, the satellites could not respond due to their location. It is also clear that the lost satellites from group 9–3 do not provoke any sort of harm to other satellites in orbit or the public (SpaceX). The effect of the failure is pretty significant. It has affected SpaceX, Starlink, and even NASA (Jett Foust, Author at Space News). Close to 100 countries worldwide use SpaceX and its Starlink to deliver satellites up to the ISS and even further. Since SpaceX is currently on a pause, all of the payloads are going to be delayed resulting in millions of dollars in loss. Just this incident with twenty satellites “cost about 10 million dollars,” said Joey Roulett, from Reuters.
The Future of Falcon 9
With over half a dozen launches scheduled before the end of next month, the future of Falcon 9 is not to be worried. SpaceX has already requested the FAA to recommence launches again. With the investigation still in progress, the approval from the FAA is still being determined. The next launch was planned for July 20th at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Falcon 9 — Starlink 10–4 was scheduled to launch more Starlink mini-satellites. However, due to the investigation by the FAA still underway, the launch is expected to be delayed. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has also certified Falcon 9 as safe and suitable for its next launch.
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