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Nine years ago today, SpaceX’s first and only in-flight anomaly with the Falcon 9 occurred after the rocket carrying a cargo mission for NASA exploded in mid-air. The launch was carrying SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, and while the Dragon successfully ejected from the Falcon 9, the ship’s parachutes did not deploy due to a software configuration. A NASA investigation later attributed the error to the ship’s use of stainless steel, and since then, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has completed dozens of crew and cargo missions to space.
The only in-flight launch failure of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 occurred on June 28, 2015
At the time, SpaceX was flying NASA’s seventh cargo mission contracted on the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft. The vehicle was SpaceX’s first-generation Dragon, and the launch took place at 9:21 a.m. Eastern Time. Things seemed to be going smoothly for most of the rocket’s ascent. As the Falcon 9 flew into the sky, SpaceX ground controllers regularly called out nominal milestones.
However, two minutes and nineteen seconds into flight, the rocket was shrouded in smoke and about twelve seconds later debris could be seen flying into the air. The rest of the livestream was silent, with a SpaceX presenter eventually noting:there was some sort of anomaly during the first phase flight. What we know is that the countdown was satisfactory; we fired all nine Merlin engines; we successfully lifted off from the SLC-40 launch pad at Cape Canaveral; we went through the stressful events of flight, went through maximum dynamic pressure, and went supersonic. However, it appears that something happened during the first phase operations.He added that engineers would analyze the data, with the Falcon 9 collecting data from multiple streams to help engineers make informed decisions.
The Falcon 9 during launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 28, 2015 as part of NASA’s CRS-7 launch to the International Space Station (ISS). Image: SpaceX
The Falcon 9 went up in smoke after the second stage failed. Image: SpaceX
Debris flies away from the Falcon 9 after its anomaly. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX’s initial investigation found that it took just 0.893 seconds from the first indication of a malfunction to the loss of all telemetry. Detailed research conducted by NASA and SpaceX’s initial analysis found that the Falcon 9’s first stage did not cause the explosion.
Instead, it was the second stage that was responsible for the accident. SpaceX shared that a “overpressure event“in the liquid oxygen tank on the second stage caused the explosion, with a faulty strut damaging the helium pressurization system in the tank. A rocket’s fuel tanks are internally pressurized during flight. This is because as the fuel is consumed, the tank must be filled. maintain pressure or it will fail internally due to lower pressure. The strut was certified to handle a force of 10,000 pounds, but failed at 2,000 pounds, according to SpaceX.
NASA’s in-depth investigation added more detail. It outlined that while SpaceX’s explanation that the strut failed due to a defect was possible, other explanations, such as manufacturing damage and improper installation, were equally likely. NASA added that SpaceX opted to use an industrial-grade stainless steel part instead of an aerospace-grade part, without screening or testing the part, without following the manufacturer’s recommendation, and without modeling or testing the part under “predicted flight conditions.”