Why the First Launch of a 3D-Printed Rocket Wasn’t a Total Failure

https://gizmodo.com/relativity-space-3d-printed-rocket-launch-fail-and-wins-1850256138


Screenshot: Relativity Space

In addition to passing Max-Q, the mission managed to complete main engine cut-off (MECO), stage separation, and the ignition of the lone second-stage Aeon vacuum engine. Roughly three minutes into the flight, however, the second stage engine appeared to sputter and then completely shut off, effectively ending the mission. The upper stage got no higher than around 81 miles (130 kilometers) above the surface and traveled no faster than about 4,600 miles per hour (7,400 km/hr), according to on-screen data provided during the webcast. Debris from the spent upper stage presumably fell down onto the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles from the Florida coast. No customer payload was included for this mission, which proved to be a smart decision.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

March 23, 2023 at 12:39PM

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