SpaceX suffers third rocket launch failure

A privately funded rocket suffered a launch failure Saturday night, the third launch failure in as many attempts for an Internet entrepreneur who is hoping to develop private space delivery and transportation.

The failure occurred about two minutes after the launch of the two-stage Falcon 1 rocket, which was manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies, also known as SpaceX. A failure prevented the two stages from separating after the launch from a central Pacific atoll, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a company blog. The rocket was carrying three satellites for NASA and the Department of Defense. Musk said an investigation into the cause of the failure is under way, but he called the launch itself "picture perfect."

Musk, who co-founded PayPal and sold it to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002, co-founded SpaceX that same year and secured a contract with NASA to replace the space shuttle after 2010 in servicing the International Space Station.

The failure marks the third time in a little more than two years that SpaceX fell short of orbiting Earth post launch. In March 2006, a fuel line leak caused the first rocket to fail about a minute after launch. The second rocket, which was launched in March 2007, made it to space but was lost about five minutes after the launch when it started to spin.

Musk said his goal with SpaceX is to reduce the cost and improve the reliability of space transportation. SpaceX will launch payloads like satellites into space at a third of the cost of its domestic competition and at half of the cost of its international competition, according to Musk.

[jef5623]

If SpaceX used the tools of 7th age of computing, still it would have faced a third faliure?

[terminalblue]

this article completely neglects to mention that this rocket was also carrying the ashes of Jimmy Doohan, Gordon Cooper and 248 others. Way to disrespect there families final wishes SpaceX.

[benjaminstraight]

The kinks will obviously need to be worked out.

[sniperdoc]

It just shows that big money doesn't always buy competency or buy you the rights to be a space farer. You figure they'd have sorted all this crap out with the 1st and 2nd lost attempt. Now they have muli-million dollar equipment onboard from other organizations...? That's gotta hurt the reputation/pocketbook. I'd be surprised if SpaceX will be able to retain their contracts with NASA and the govmt.

[onlyauser]

FAILURE IS NOT FAILURE if you are still able to peruse the objective. Failure at an attempt is simply a step closer to success.

We would not have light bulbs if everyone viewed failure as a negative.

[thetarget]

I agree. Fully.

People just take everything for granted nowadays.

[grtgrfx]

Ah, the difference is, most corporate researchers don't allow $$-Millions of someone else's project money to go up in flames to perfect their objectives. Make it work the first time, THEN offer for sale to everyone else...that's the entrepreneurial way. Perusing (or observing) objectives is not the same as pursuing them.

[Len Bullard]

Looks pretty much like the first 25 years of space flight from 1942. It isn't just a matter of making good technology, it is a matter of managing it. The V2s blew up consistently until they worked out the turbo-pump spin up problems collapsing the fuel-tanks. It was a technique fix, not a design problem. SpaceX possibly needs more flights to learn how to work their designs. Or it could be a design problem. The trouble could be the test regime itself: insufficient static and tunnel testing, insufficient sensors, not enough flights. If you commit too much to schedule too fast, it happens. This is why Von Braun was so conservative with the manned space flight schedules. The Russians cut corners to get there first and it cost crews their lives. Von Braun insisted on more flights and never lost a crew while launching the world's most complex systems to date.

Experience counts.

I'm a little surprised they put valuable payloads on these start-ups. That's overdriving the headlights.

[Neotrope]

Wow. I guess the legacy continues. Frankly, PayPal sucked really bad until eBay took it over, cleaned it up, got rid of the bad vendors and sorted out the right way to do merchant transactions. With the logic behind this company's business model (SpaceX), maybe eBay should get into the space business. How hard is it to build a missle and point it upright? Sheesh. "Disappointing news of the day," in my opinion.

[Pete Bardo]

Hey Neotrope: "How hard is it to build a missile and point it upright? Sheesh" It's rocket science...duh!

[Burnsie001]

Not much science these days, just lots of engineering and plumbing. Why send a payload on an experimental craft? Perhaps they should spend some time launching payloads that can afford to be lost while they work out the bugs.

[Thomas, David]

The question is, and I am going to try and find out, "was the payload lost?"

If so, SpaceX screwed the pooch.

[sanenazok]

It's not mentioned because it's obvious...payload's a goner. They may be able to salvage some plastic, that's about it.

[kwilsonjr]

Space travel on the cheap? Of course it failed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

[Kippens]

Well they have just made a deal with NASA concerning space travel to the International Space Station! So they don't have to worry about launch failures anymore! And no bodies ashes with strange wishes will ever be disrespected again! Joy for all. Maybe they will try ship people to the ISS too. Or build a new station to put prisoners on. Just like in.. ALIEN!