Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket launched a technology demonstration satellite named Tantrum from Lockheed Martin just days before Christmas from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The initial phases of the flight seemed to be going smoothly, but unfortunately, a second burn of the upper stage did not occur, leaving the satellite in a lower orbit than intended.
Hours after the launch, Firefly confirmed that the second stage malfunctioned, resulting in the failure to deliver the payload to its precise target orbit. This failure was just one of several upper stage mishaps in 2023, totaling five failures on orbital launches.
Other examples of upper stage failures this year include those experienced by Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne, Rocket Lab’s Electron, Relativity Space’s Terran 1, and Japan’s H3 rockets. Rocket Lab’s Electron failure was specifically linked to an electrical arc caused by Paschen’s Law, a phenomenon in the upper atmosphere.
Upper stages operate in challenging and unforgiving environments, with less margin for error compared to first stages, making failures even more critical. Further testing is essential to uncover potential problems, but these tests can be time-consuming and expensive, as demonstrated by the aborted test of Europe’s Ariane 6 upper stage.
While upper stages may often be overlooked in discussions about rocket launches, the series of failures in 2023 underscore the complexity and challenges they face. These challenges can sometimes exceed those of lower stages, highlighting the importance of thorough testing and development in the space industry.
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