NASA has a released areportinto last year ’s Orbital ATK Antares rocket engine accident .
The foreign mission was mean to send supply up to the International Space Station ( ISS ) . However , when launched on the eve of October 28 , 2014 , it went up in aball of flames , less than 10 seconds after lift off from the Mid - Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA ’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia . Although the rocket , consignment , and launching domiciliation were heavily damaged , there were luckily no trauma or fatalities .
The investigation into the clangour was started in November 2014 by NASA ’s Independent Review Team ( IRT ) , which comprised 12 people , supported by 31 extra employee . To collect the account they had access to the telemetry , data point , documents , and audience with key personnel office .
The enquiry found there was an explosion in the liquid O turbopump of “ E15 ” – one of the two main AJ26 engines . This led to the rocket lose thrust and falling back to the Earth . It ’s believe the lawsuit of the plosion set about in the turbopump because rotating and stationary component part itch together , cause immense amount of rubbing and estrus .
Above is a video of the burst .
The news report was unable to determine a single root effort for this malfunction , though . It state : “ The IRT was not able to sequester a single technical beginning effort for the E15 fire and burst . ” It reasoned that it could either be a manufacturing shortcoming , a foreign object obstruction or “ inadequate conception robustness . ”
However , Orbital ATK , the manufacturers and designers of the rocket , completed a theme into the crash earlier this year which came to more concrete conclusions . Its investigating say it was “ highly likely ” it was a design fault with the turbopump , which was manufactured over 40 years ago in the former Soviet Union .
“ The thoroughgoing work of the NASA team is essential to see to it the agency continues to learn and improve , ” said William Gerstenmaier , associate executive for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters , in astatement . “ This unfortunate consequence provides a awful chance for the diligence and NASA team to ameliorate fomite evolution , skill , and operations . The findings from this team will cater a basis to set about discussions on future areas for betterment . Even though not all recommendations will be implemented as write , all the good word will enable positive lesson for the authority . ”
