Uncertain future for SLC-40 as damage becomes clear.
It’s been difficult to gauge the damage to the launch complex following last week’s incident involving the Amos-6 Falcon 9. Both SpaceX and the Air Force have been quiet about the ground facilities largely in part because the investigation is still ongoing.
A first-hand account of a first responder unit’s actions give insight into the amount of damage the launch complex and surrounding facilities have sustained:
Shortly after the initial fireball, the pad’s emergency deluge system was activated. This system was constructed as part of the original Titan III complex in the 1960s, which included the present day ULA SLC-41. Water for both pad’s systems were supplied by a single 1.5 million gallon tank.
The initial explosion damaged the system to the point where water was being used at a faster rate than it could be pumped in. Once it ran dry, the motors powering the pumps would be damaged if water was not restored soon.
Over at SLC-41, the Atlas V rocket with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission was safely inside the Vertical Integration Facility when the incident occurred. Since the spacecraft’s instruments required a pristine and controlled environment, climate-controlled Nitrogen was cycled within the payload fairing. Part of this system, the water chillers, began to lose pressure due to damage from the explosion. Once they lost pressure, the spacecraft would only have a short window before its protective environment was compromised, leading to a delayed or cancelled mission.
While his team was coordinating with Emergency responders from Kennedy Space Center, all water pressures with the water chilling system at SLC-41 had been lost. The extent of their damage is as of yet unclear, however, water pressures were restored rather quickly, and OSIRIS-REx remained environmentally protected. ULA would perform inspections in the days following the incident confirming that both the Atlas V rocket and spacecraft were still safely operating, as well as clean. It successfully launched September 8.
Small but critical details can be extracted from the text; most of the launch complex’s pipe infrastructure has been destroyed. As can be seen in the explosion, multiple pressure vessels at the complex have been ruptured, including at least five pressurized rail cars. NASA and Air Force drones have imaged the site from the air, allowing response teams to navigate hazardous areas of the pad during cleanup operations. These images have not yet been made public.
While an investigation is already underway, SpaceX has yet to release even a vague understanding of what caused the incident. The Falcon 9 vehicle and its associated Ground Support Equipment has more than 3,000 channels of telemetry that the company has to thoroughly analyze.
Although the damage to SLC-40 is still being assessed, it is speculated that nearly a year’s worth of work lies ahead for SpaceX teams if they choose to repair it. The company’s other Florida launch site - LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center - is expected to become operational in November. Pending the Falcon’s tentative return to flight, it is expected that the former Apollo and Shuttle-era pad will host the rocket’s launch operations until repairs are completed.
Article by 45th Mission Support Group Lt. Colonel Greg Lindsey can be found here.
P/C: We Report Space, For All Mankind.
SLC-40 seen from a camera mound almost a mile north of the complex.
