Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 1 Rocket Fails to Make Flight Again
Posted 08/04/08 at 11:40:00 AM by Paul Lilly
Private spaceflight firm SpaceX received another setback as its Falcon 1 rocket failed to make orbit over the weekend, marking the third time the firm has been unable to reach outer space. The first time came back in March 2006 when a fuel line leak and subsequent fire due to a corroded nut ended the operation. Then again in March 2007, the Falcon 1's second stage engine shut down because of a fuel slosh and roll control issues just before reaching orbit.
This time it was the failure of two rocket stages to separate that ended the mission about two minutes and 20 seconds into launch. The Falcon 1 was attempting to carry a small satellite called Trailblazer for the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space Office, as well as two small NASA satellites.
"It was obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this Flight 3 of the Falcon 1," said Elon Music, SpaceX chairman and CEO. "On the plus side, the flight of our first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine that will be used in Falcon 9, was picture perfect. Unfortunately, a problem occurred with stage separation, causing the stages to be held together."
Undeterred by the third failed attempt, Musk promised to move forward with plans for a fourth flight, while also continuing to develop Falcon 9 and Dragon thanks to a recent "major investment."

Image Credit: SpaceX
Thanks for sharing this
Submitted by SkylerH on Sat, 04/18/2009 - 1:07am
Thanks for sharing this post! The U.S. software mogul, who has now made 2 trips into outer space without having to resort to a single payday loan in order to pay for tickets, may be the last paying passenger to head into space for several years. Believe it or not, things are tough out there too. The commercial space travel is at it’s lowest peak. Well, outer space isn't really in
a recession – outer space has been constantly expanding since the beginning of time and will continue to do so forever, but commercial space travel is slowing down. Companies like Roskosmos and Space Adventures travel companies, have been seeing less business and now they can't book any more flights to the International Space Station because actual space agencies are using it. A flight through these companies costs more than any payday loan will cover, as it is in the dozens of millions to get booked. Turns out even the largest of a no fax cash advance doesn't matter in outer space.
and apparently this was
Submitted by sirphunkee on Mon, 08/04/2008 - 1:51pm
and apparently this was also their second (failed) attempt to launch some of the ashes of James Doohan (along with others').
to be fair though, the ashes sent up on this equally-ill-fated shot were the same ones sent up the first time, and then unexpectedly recovered again among the wreckage, and repackaged for this one.
So your saying that they
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Mon, 08/04/2008 - 1:49pm
So your saying that they could'nt get it up? Why is'nt Viagra an advertiser?
Feature
Review
Feature
Feature
Feature






