The first launch of Europe's new powerful Ariane-5 rocket ended in disaster when the rocket veered off course and had to be destroyed by ground controllers less than a minute after launch on June 4.
"The first Ariane-5 flight did not result in validation of Europe's new launcher," an ESA press release understated.
The Ariane-5 lifted off from the ESA launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:34 AM local time (12:34 PM GMT) on June 4, after a one-hour delay due to cloud cover. The initial portion of the launch took place without incident.
About 30 seconds after liftoff, the nozzles on both solid-fuel rocket boosters suddenly swiveled to their maximum angle. This caused a sudden course change for the rocket. The sharp tilting of the rocket introduced strong aerodynamic loads that caused it to begin to break apart. Ground controllers then used the rocket's self-destruct system to prevent the rocket from crashing back to Earth.
No one was injured as debris from the rocket fell back into the jungle several kilometers from the launch site. That area had been reserved as a buffer zone between the launch site and other areas as a contingency for events like this.
ESA and CNES, the French space agency who has been designed by ESA to manage the Ariane-5 project, immediately formed a board of inquiry to study the cause of the accident. Their findings are due by July 15.
The board is expected to focus on the possibility that a malfunction in the software that run's the rocket's guidance system may have issued an erroneous command to swivel the rocket nozzles. Such a fault would be a relief to engineers, who state that changing the guidance software on the rocket is a much easier and less expensive task than a redesign of the propulsion, which has been an earlier fear.
"We are rather confident, as an electronic systems not the propulsion system and does not need costly tests," Yves Le Gall of CNES said.
The rocket explosion took with it four scientific satellites known as Cluster. These satellites would have worked in conjunction with other spacecraft to monitor the interaction between the solar wind and the near-Earth environment. The $500 million satellites were not insured and are not likely to be replaced.
A second Ariane-5 test is scheduled for later this year, but the planned September launch date may be pushed back to accommodate modifications in the rocket. There is no sign that the explosion will cause ESA to reevaluate its $8 billion-plus investment in the Ariane-5.
"It was an experimental flight. We knew the risks we were running," French Space Minister Francois Fillon told Reuters. "We will do all we can so that Europe's great space adventure remains a success."
The DC-XA test vehicle made its second test flight on Friday, June 7 at White Sands, New Mexico, and turned around to make its third the next day after being renamed "Clipper Graham" for a late SSTO pioneer.
The second DC-XA flight rook place at 12:15pm EDT (4:15pm GMT) Friday, as the stubby, cone-shaped vehicle rose to a height of 485 meters (1,600 ft.) and then moved sideways 105 m (350 ft.) before landing safely.
On Saturday morning, the vehicle flew to a height of 3,120 m (10, 300 ft.) and stayed in the air for over two minutes before landing. Saturday's launch had been scheduled for late Friday afternoon, as a test of the quick-turnaround capability the rocket offers, but threatening storm clouds on Friday delayed the launch until Saturday.
After Friday's flight, NASA officials announced that the DC-XA had been renamed "Clipper Graham" in memory of Lt. General Daniel O. Graham. Graham had supported the development of single-stage to orbit (SSTO) spacecraft while serving in the Air Force. Graham passed away late last year. "Clipper" comes from the original name of the vehicle, the "Delta Clipper."
"Graham was a visionary who championed the promise of fully reusable single-stage to orbit vehicles at a time when the majority of the space community were skeptics," NASA administrator Dan Goldin said. "We're doing this in commemoration of his vision in opening the space frontier."
Friday's and Saturday's tests were the second and third in a series of five flights planned for this year. Clipper Graham is being used by NASA as a testbed for advanced technologies, such as lightweight ceramic fuel tanks, which may be used in projects like the X-33 and X-34.
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