United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, under contract for dozens of flights for the U.S. military and Amazon's Kuiper broadband network, took off from Florida on its second test flight on Friday, experienced an anomaly with one of the strap-on boosters and still achieved a successful success. mission, the company said in a statement.
This test flight, known as Cert-2, is the second certification mission for the new Vulcan rocket, a milestone that paves the way for the Space Force to clear ULA's new rocket to begin launching in the coming months national security satellites.
While ULA said the Vulcan rocket continued to hit its tracks during its ascent to orbit on Friday, engineers are investigating what happened to one of its solid rocket boosters shortly after launch.
After a last-minute aborted countdown earlier in the morning, the 202-foot-tall (61.6 meters) Vulcan rocket ignited its twin methane-fueled BE-4 engines and two side-mounted solid rocket boosters to climb away from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, Friday at 7:25 a.m. EDT (11:25 UTC).
A small tilt
As the rocket flew east from Cape Canaveral, a shower of sparks suddenly appeared at the base of the Vulcan rocket about 37 seconds into the mission. The exhaust plume from one of the strap-on boosters, made by Northrop Grumman, changed significantly, and the rocket tilted slightly on its axis before the guidance system and main engines made a steering correction.
Videos of the launch show the booster nozzle, the bell-shaped exhaust cone at the bottom of the booster, falling away from the rocket.
“It looks dramatic, like all things on a rocket,” Bruno wrote on X. “But it's just the release of the nozzle. No explosions occurred.”
During the ascent of the Vulcan rocket on the #Cert2 During the mission, there appeared to be a problem with the solid rocket booster on the right side of the vehicle, as seen from the KSC press site. However, the Centaur was able to reach orbit.https://t.co/3iwWLVWZHp
📹: @ABernNYC pic.twitter.com/5h06ffNMXr
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) October 4, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial space launches in the United States, said in a statement that it reviewed the booster anomaly and “determined that no investigation is warranted at this time.” The FAA is not responsible for regulating launch vehicle deviations unless they impact public safety.
