SPACE IN NEWS

Falcon 9 rocket blasts off! May 22, 2012- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) to propel the Dragon spacecraft on the first commercial voyage to the International Space Station. You can follow the entire mission on Spaceflight Now with live video and comprehensive coverage.    MISSION STATUS CENTER

Falcon 9 launch scrubbed at last second MAy 19, 2012- SpaceX's COTS 2 demonstration launch on 19 May was aborted half a second before lift-off when the flight computer detected slightly high pressure in the engine 5 combustion chamber. The company said it has discovered root cause and repairs are underway. "During rigorous inspections of the engine, SpaceX engineers discovered a faulty check valve on the Merlin engine. We are now in the process of replacing the failed valve. Those repairs should be complete tonight. We will continue to review data on Sunday. If things look good, we will be ready to attempt to launch on Tuesday, May 22nd at 3:44 AM Eastern [0744 UTC]," SpaceX said in a statement.  The rocket is carrying a Dragon cargo spacecraft on a test flight to maneuver around and berth with the ISS, allowing it, if successful, to make future cargo deliveries to the ISS. Related Links:  Florida Today article  NASASpaceFlight.com article Repaired SpaceX prepared for launch on May 22

How the Faulty Nitrogen-Purge Valve Forced SpaceX to Abort May 21, 2012 - SpaceX has replaced a faulty valve that led to the aborted launch attempt early Saturday morning and is currently planning a second launch attempt at 3:44 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 22. The first launch attempt was unsuccessful after a last-half-second shutoff occurred due to higher than acceptable pressure in the combustion chamber of one of the Falcon 9′s Merlin rocket engines. After examining the problematic engine, SpaceX engineers were able to trace the high-pressure problem to a valve that controls the flow of nitrogen used to purge the engine before ignition. Using the inert nitrogen gas to purge rocket engines is common and has been used for decades. The nitrogen displaces gases and/or liquids, effectively cleaning the engine and preventing any volatile mixtures before ignition. A check valve that allows the nitrogen purge prior to ignition in the Merlin engine was stuck open just before launch. This stuck valve allowed “liquid oxygen to flow from the main injector [for the rocket engine itself] into the gas generator injector” that generates hot turbine gas, which drives the turbopumps, according to SpaceX. The turbopumps are basically very high-powered fuel and oxidizer pumps that deliver the liquids to the main combustion chamber of the rocket. The result was the turbopumps were operating at a slightly higher power level, resulting in the high pressure detected in the combustion chamber on engine five. Full story

KSC master-plan rewrite under way for new launches Spaceport's planned transformation to multi-user facility prompts update. Snapped in 1964, the black-and-white photograph depicts Pad 39A under construction — and in the background, metal rebar of the future Vehicle Assembly Building is emerging from the ground. For the past half-century, the $5.6 billion, “irreplaceable” Kennedy Space Center has operated as a NASA-monopolized installation, said master planner Trey Carlson. Full story

The Rocket Factory: SpaceX Builds Them From Top to Bottom May 18, 2012 - The commercial space race is about to begin. Early Saturday morning at 4:55 a.m. EDT, the first privately designed and built spacecraft destined for the International Space Station is expected to lift off from the historic Cape Canaveral Air Force Station not far from the Atlantic Ocean on Florida's east coast. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule are designed and built by Space Exploration Technologies -- the company better known as SpaceX -- at the company's factory not far from the Pacific Ocean in Hawthorne, California. Full story

Japan's H-2A rocket orbits craft to aid climate scientists May 17, 2012-A Japanese H-2A rocket deployed four satellites in orbit Thursday, putting up a research mission to track the changing role of water in Earth's climate and a South Korean payload to gather high-resolution photos for environmental monitoring and security authorities. The 187-foot-tall launcher blasted off at 1639 GMT (12:39 p.m. EDT) from the Tanegashima Space Center, a picturesque island spaceport in southern Japan. The rocket soared south from Tanegashima, its hydrogen-fueled main engine and twin solid rocket boosters rising into the sky in a ball of orange flame. The H-2A rocket's upper stage reached orbit about 15 minutes after liftoff, then deployed four satellites for Japan and South Korea. Full Story