Static Firing Was Aborted 1.1 Seconds Into A Planned 3 Second Burn

By Wes Oleszewski

Friday morning SpaceX's second Falcon 9 launch vehicle attempted a static firing test at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40 in preparation for a December 7th launch. That launch will be the COTS-1 Demonstration mission. The static firing was aborted 1.1 seconds into a planned 3 second burn. It was later decided not to proceed with a second attempt and the static firing was given a 24 hour scrub.

The original schedule called for the static firing to take place at 9:00 am Eastern Time, however, the firing was subsequently delayed. When the process was resumed, ignition came at 1:00 pm, but was terminated automatically 1.1 seconds later. Reportedly an abnormally high chamber pressure in engine number 6 of the first stage's 9 engine cluster was sensed and the sequencer automatically shut down the vehicle. Although SpaceX's streamlined launch system allows for a very rapid recycle to another attempt at first stage firing, it was reportedly decided that there was not enough time remaining in the Easter Test Range's allotted window for the static test and the event was scrubbed for 24 hours. SpaceX announced that another attempt will be made on Saturday morning.

This was not the first time that a Falcon 9 launch vehicle has been dealt a post-ignition shutdown on the pad due to one of its 9 engines. The first Falcon 9, which launched on June 4th of this year, was also shut down at ignition. It was recycled and launched successfully the same day.

Three months prior to that event, however, that same booster aborted 2 seconds into its static test due to an engine issue that the sensors caught.

It is the goal of next week's launch to perform the first COTS demonstration flight where the Falcon 9 will place into orbit an active version of SpaceX's Dragon space capsule. That capsule is scheduled to make 3 orbits before reentering and parachuting to a Pacific Ocean splashdown. COTS, the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, is a program by which NASA has contracted two private companies to transport cargo to and from the International Space Station following the retirement of the Space Shuttle.

FMI: www.spacex.com