THE satellite launch from Spaceport Cornwall failed in January of last year after a fuel filter became dislodged, according to the official report into the incident.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch stated the Virgin Orbit mission went as expected when LauncherOne, a two-stage rocket, was dropped from under the wing of a modified Boeing 747-400 called Cosmic Girl.
But during the beginning of the first burn of the second stage engine "it is likely" that a fuel filter located in the hose that transfers fuel from one point to another "dislodged from its normal position".
The report said this led to a series of events that caused the second stage engine to shut down prematurely and the reduction of thrust meant the stage fell back to Earth
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It added there was nothing in the operator’s report suggesting that the operation from Spaceport Cornwall contributed to the launch failure.
The AAIB report concluded: “The AAIB, acting as the UK’s Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA), is responsible for the investigation of spaceflight accidents.
“This statement summarises SAIA engagement with an investigation to determine why the LauncherOne launch vehicle did not reach orbit following its launch from Spaceport Cornwall on January, 9 2023.
“LauncherOne, a two-stage rocket, was dropped from under the wing of a modified Boeing 747-400 with the intention of inserting a payload of satellites into orbit.
“The mission proceeded as expected until the beginning of the first burn of the second stage engine, it is likely that a fuel filter within the fuel feedline dislodged from its normal position.
“This conclusion was supported by ground testing that matched the observed flight data. This caused the fuel pump downstream of the filter to operate at degraded efficiency, resulting in fuel flow to the Newton 4 engine being lower than expected.
“This, in turn, caused the engine to operate at a temperature significantly higher than expected. Components in the vicinity of the abnormally hot engine malfunctioned causing the second stage engine to shut down prematurely.
“The early reduction in thrust meant that the second stage and its payload did not reach orbital velocity and fell back to Earth, landing within the approved flight corridor in the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Canary Islands.
“The SAIA considered the account of events and findings within the operator’s report to be credible, a view also taken by the FAA-AST.
“Nothing in the operator’s report suggested that the UK licensing process or the operation from Spaceport Cornwall contributed to the launch failure.
“Nevertheless, regulatory and other activities undertaken to enable the launch to take place were the subject of a review by the UK Space Agency, which published a ‘Lessons Learned Report’ 12 in December 2023.”