ROCKET LAUNCH SET FOR MID-FEBRUARY.Byline: MUHAMMED EL-HASAN Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and -- Rocket developer Space Exploration Technologies pushed back the planned launch of its Falcon 1 rocket until mid-February because of an anomaly Abnormality or deviation. Pronounced "uh-nom-uh-lee," it is a favorite word among computer people when complex systems produce output that is inexplicable. See software conflict and anomaly detection. with a rocket component. The announcement came Friday in company founder Elon Musk's blog on the firm's Web site. Also known as SpaceX, the private El Segundo-based company had planned the launch for Jan. 22 from a facility in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands Marshall Islands, officially Republic of the Marshall Islands, independent nation (2005 est. pop. 59,000), in the central Pacific. The Marshalls extend over a 700-mi (1,130-km) area and comprise two major groups: the Ratak Chain in the east, and the Ralik Chain in in the Pacific Ocean. If the February launch occurs, it will come nearly a year after SpaceX's maiden launch in March 2006 when the Falcon 1 exploded ex·plode v. ex·plod·ed, ex·plod·ing, ex·plodes v.intr. 1. To release mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy by the sudden production of gases in a confined space: in the air. No launch has occurred since. Last year's failed launch was pushed back several times in an attempt to weed out all the bugs. The same could happen for this launch. ``As I've mentioned previously, don't hold your breath for this launch,'' Musk wrote on his blog Friday. SpaceX has enhanced its system for verifying the health of the rocket and launch pad from about 30 checks to nearly 1,000. Given that, ``shifts in the launch date are to be expected,'' Musk wrote. SpaceX was established in 2002 to develop low-cost rockets to broaden access to space. Musk made a fortune from Internet ventures before starting SpaceX. He financed the rocket company mostly from more than $100 million of his own funds. A successful Falcon 1 flight would represent a critical step in proving the technology behind the rocket and the whole concept of low-cost transportation to space. Last year, SpaceX set the price tag of a Falcon 1 launch at $6.7 million. The company plans to raise that price by about 5 percent next week, said Gwynne Shotwell, vice president of business development. A traditional rocket launch A rocket launch is the first phase of the flight of a rocket. For orbital spaceflights, or for launches into interplanetary space, rockets are launched from a launch pad, which is usually a fixed location on the ground but may also be on a floating platform such as the San Marco costs tens of millions of dollars, even for those at the bottom of the price and performance scale. February's planned launch will carry two NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. instruments to be tested during the flight. The anomaly that pushed back the launch was in a component of the thrust vector control Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the vectors of vector born diseases, for which the pathogen (e.g. virusor parasite) is transmitted by a vector which can be mammals, birds or arthropods, especially insects, and more specifically mosquitoes. for the rocket's second stage. Last year's launch failed because of a fuel leak in the rocket caused by a corroded cor·rode v. cor·rod·ed, cor·rod·ing, cor·rodes v.tr. 1. To destroy a metal or alloy gradually, especially by oxidation or chemical action: acid corroding metal. fastener known as a ``b'' nut. This latest Falcon 1 has been modified to lower the possibility of that happening. The upcoming launch is one of 12 SpaceX plans under contracts worth nearly $500 million, Shotwell said. mel-hasan(at)dailybreeze.com |
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