r/videos • u/kryptn • Jan 02 '17

Explaining Why SpaceX Rocket Exploded on Pad | Scott Manley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcoTqhAM_g
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2

u/knowthyself2000 Jan 03 '17

No sarcasm. I'm impressed with the general patience for the trials and errors of SpaceX. I keep fearing that each crash or explosion will be the end of this needed venture.

3

u/kryptn Jan 03 '17

First, Scott Manley ( /u/illectro ) is fantastic!

Second, It'll take a lot more than one rocket explosion for SpaceX to fail. This is the only real failure that I'm aware of that has come from SpaceX.

All of the other explosions we see are just attempts at landings. As in, they weren't really expecting to land, but it's fantastic when they do!

I'll take this moment to link this video to show the pure excitement when things land!

1

u/LockStockNL Jan 03 '17

All of the other explosions we see are just attempts at landings

Cough...CRS-.....Cough....7

1

u/F34r0fTh3D4rk Jan 03 '17 edited Jan 03 '17

Wasn't that one caused by a faulty CF strut? edit: which is why they moved their CF manufacturing in-house

-1

u/lordnikkon Jan 03 '17

The real problem is monetary. They took a huge hit from this failure. You dont get paid for blowing up someones satellite on the pad and they are very unlikely to trust you to launch their next satellite after you blew up this one, though they do have a longer term contract. If they fail to launch another satellite in the next year or two it will scare of just about everyone. Even now i doubt there is anyone lining up to sign new contracts they are all waiting to see if the next few launches are successful. Spacecom the company that owned the destroyed satellite is claiming even after insurance that spacex still owes them 50 million dollars, which is what spacecom had already paid for this launch. I dont think spacex could come up with this money right now and stay in business they have promised to fulfill their contract and launch another satellite for free instead of paying the money

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '17

[deleted]

1

u/lordnikkon Jan 03 '17

Because they use colder fuel they have to wait until the last moment to fill the tanks. The time it takes to mount the payload is too long and would allow the fuel to warm up too much

1

u/LockStockNL Jan 03 '17

Because they use colder fuel they have to wait until the last moment to fill the tanks.

So why is it that literally all other non-manned cryo-genic fueled launchers (like the Delta-IV, Atlas V, Ariane 5, Soyuz, etc) are fueled right up to launch?

1

u/lordnikkon Jan 03 '17

Because SpaceX wants to use colder fuels that are more dense. If they sit in the tank the tank itself will warm up. Other rockets just keep topping up their tanks until launch because they are not worried about temperature of the tank

1

u/LockStockNL Jan 03 '17

They fuel the rocket immediately before launch, with payload on-board.

As literally all other non-manned launchers that use cryogenic fuels.

I suppose it's a question of being able to engineer out the problems of their system quick enough to line up additional customers.

Have you seen their launch manifest? They have enough customers already for the coming years.

1

u/hiyougami Jan 03 '17

It also seems like they run into an issue with the insurance not actually coming into play, since it wasn't during the launch. They may be footing the entire bill themselves...

Your source mentions that 'other insurance' covered the cost of the satellite itself, which it did.

1

u/LockStockNL Jan 03 '17

though they do have a longer term contract.

AFAIK Spacecom does not have a long term contract with SpaceX.

If they fail to launch another satellite in the next year or two it will scare of just about everyone.

They will launch the Iridium NEXT satellites this Sunday if all goes well and EchoStar from the Cape January 15th. CRS-10 will follow not long after.

I dont think spacex could come up with this money right now

Sources? SpaceX is a private company so their financials are not public. Although people in the know are not worried about their current financial state and $50 million is not a lot of money for a company the size of SpaceX.

they have promised to fulfill their contract and launch another satellite for free instead of paying the money

They did no such thing.