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SpaceX has been grounded e'er since a launchpad explosion on September 1st resulted in the loss of a Falcon 9 rocket. The failure destroyed a Facebook internet satellite and called into question the blueprint of SpaceX's fuel tanks. This was the second tank failure leading to the loss of a Falcon 9, though this situation has proved to be much more than complex. Afterward narrowing its investigation to the helium tanks, SpaceX has now released its findings and hopes to launch once again every bit soon as Jan 8th.

The anomaly (a nice way to say giant fireball) occurred while helium was beingness loaded into the rocket on the launchpad. The engines were not firing, and there was no active estrus source. The team had precious lilliputian information to go on with just 93 milliseconds between the get-go sign of a problem and complete loss of telemetry. Still, engineers zeroed in on the design of the helium composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) early. The incident was all the more than concerning considering this is the same design that will be used to launch the manned Dragon crew capsule in the side by side several years.

The Falcon 9 has three COPVs inside the upper-stage liquid oxygen fuel tank. Because liquid-fueled rockets can turn on and off, they need to maintain pressure inside the tank as fuel is used. Helium is a natural choice for this as information technology's inert. SpaceX now says it has traced the cause of the explosion to one of the three COPVs at a point where the tank "buckles" and accumulates oxygen. It was this accumulated oxygen that ignited from friction and caused the vehicle to explode.

SpaceX previously noted that it believed variations in helium temperature had caused the incident. But now nosotros have more than detail on what that means. The super-chilled liquid helium beingness loaded into the rocket that day may really have been cold enough to freeze the liquid oxygen accumulated between the COPV liner and overwrap. Solid oxygen can't flow, making a "friction ignition" much more than likely.

Having worked out the probable cause of the incident, SpaceX has identified several corrective deportment. On the immediate calendar are small changes to the COPV blueprint to stop oxygen from pooling around it. SpaceX will also lower the temperature of the liquid hydrogen information technology loads. Over the long term, the visitor plans to redesign the COPV completely.

SpaceX is awaiting FAA approval to move forrard with its launch on January eighth. However, it has already prepped a payload of ten IridiumNEXT communications satellites in the nose cone of a Falcon 9 in apprehension of approval. SpaceX plans to launch a total of 70 IridiumNEXT satellites over the coming months, bold the upcoming launch goes as planned.