Falcon-1's Flight Nipped in the Bud

Falcon-1's Flight Nipped in the Bud
California - US-based techpreneur Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp.(SpaceX) suffered a temporary setback when the launch of its Falcon 1 rocket was shelved on Saturday due to a faulty liquid oxygen tank and an engine computer snag.

In a statement, SpaceX said it hoped to draw up a fresh launch schedule within a week.

After being held up for a long time on Saturday, the launch was eventually called off once it came to light that a liquid oxygen tank vent had been left open, the company stated, adding, too much of helium and liquid oxygen had been lost rendering an immediate launch impossible.

The debut flight of the rocket was initially planned for Friday but was bumped ahead by a day at the behest of the US Army, which owns the launch pad on Omelek Island in the Central Pacific from where the rocket was to liftoff. The US Army wanted to ensure that its missile defense system test could proceed smoothly.

A $380 million satellite for the US government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Air Force Academy was to be the rocket's payload. Falcon 1 is the first of the much-touted array of low-cost commercial rockets that run on liquid-fuel including the mid-size Falcon 5 and the Falcon 9 with heavy-lift capabilities that SpaceX believes will help it garner a chuck of the orbital launch vehicles' pie.

According to SpaceX, the technology used in Falcon rockets - a two- stage liquid oxygen and kerosene engine uses fewer moving parts and can be launched faster. Coming at a price-tag of $6.7-million, the Falcon 1 has the lowest cost per orbital flight as compared to any other rocket, the company feels.