Blue Origin has announced, that the next launch of the New Glenn rocket may take place at the end of spring, following the conclusion of an investigation into the first-stage mis-landing on her maiden flight.
Investigation results and conclusions
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 31 March confirmed, which accepted the conclusions of the investigation, which was headed by Blue Origin. The incident happened 16 January , when the rocket successfully launched the upper stage into orbit, but the first stage failed to land on the platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The main reason for the failure was the failure of the BE-4 engines during the relaunch, which made the braking maneuver impossible and resulted in a loss of grade. Blue Origin identified seven corrective actions, which must be implemented before the next flight, but the details of these measures were not disclosed.
Completion of the investigation paves the way for the next missile launch, although the FAA must confirm before that, that the company has made all necessary adjustments.
Plans for the next launch
Blue Origin stated, which will repeat the attempt to land the first stage already during the next flight, scheduled for the end of spring. The specific date and information about the payload have not yet been disclosed.
Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp noted back in February during the Commercial Space Conference, what problems, related to the supply of fuel to the engines, could cause failure.
After the official completion of the investigation, he said, that the implemented changes in fuel management and engine cooling systems will increase the chances of a successful landing during the next flight. Limp emphasized, that the company will not stop trying to achieve a successful landing.
The FAA has also completed its investigation into the loss of Starship during its seventh test flight
Along with the investigation into the New Glenn incident, The FAA has completed its analysis of the Starship rocket failure, which also took place 16 January during the seventh test flight.
According to the official report, the probable cause of the accident was excessive vibrations, which led to increased load and subsequent failure of engine system components. This coincides with SpaceX's explanation for the loss of the Starship's second stage.
Although the investigation was still ongoing, The FAA cleared SpaceX to proceed with test flights after passing the required comprehensive safety review. The eighth test flight took place 6 March, but the second stage was lost again at about the same stage of the flight.
The FAA is currently continuing its investigation into the latest Starship accident. SpaceX cannot launch the next rocket until then, until the agency approves the final report or issues permission to resume flights.
Source: https://spacenews.com/investigation-into-failed-new-glenn-landing-completed/