Moving on now to that rocket booster going up in flames. Now the federal government is grounding all SpaceX launches, the space company forced to figure out what went wrong with its Falcon 9 booster early this morning before it can move forward with any other launches. The satellites made it into orbit, but that booster landing, it was a bust. Now many are wondering what’s next for the even larger Polaris Dawn mission designed to send private astronauts on a spacewalk high above Earth. News 6’s Troy Campbell investigates.
Troy Campbell (00:34):
After the explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic, many are wondering if it will delay the historic Polaris Dawn mission, so we brought that question to the expert.
Bill Harwood (00:47):
But delays happen all the time in spaceflight. I think the crew knows to expect that. I don’t think that in and of itself is a very big deal or plays heavy on their mind. How long it might take to resolve all this is anybody’s guess.
Troy Campbell (01:00):
CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood says after this Falcon 9 rocket booster explosion, both SpaceX and the FAA will want to make sure they know the exact cause before another launch.
Bill Harwood (01:12):
Well, the same systems that control how a Falcon 9 first stage carries out its automated landing is also used during the launch. It’s tied into the launch abort system, the self-destruct system. They want to make sure that when the booster is flying, that those systems are working normally and pose no threat to public safety.
Troy Campbell (01:31):
Harwood says, after nearly 270 booster landings, people have grown accustomed to them being successful.
Bill Harwood (01:38):
People would run outside to catch it. Everybody was talking about it. And now, as a testament to the rocket’s reliability, they’ve done this hundreds of times and people don’t even go outside to look anymore. It has become commonplace. It’s become routine. And of course, the one thing we all know, and that this mishap highlights, it’s never routine when it comes to launching rockets.
Troy Campbell (01:58):
The FAA says an investigation is designed to further enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again, and that it will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions.
Bill Harwood (02:17):
The FAA is going to want to make sure all those systems are working properly before they clear the rockets to fly again, and that includes the Polaris Dawn mission that we’re all waiting to see fly, the commercial flight with that first non-government spacewalk on tap.
Troy Campbell (02:31):
The FAA hasn’t said how long the investigation will last. In Orange County, Troy Campbell. Getting Results, News 6.