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SpaceX launch experiences an engine failure, but Dragon still achieves orbit

Sunday night's launch of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, on its very first cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station (ISS), was not without its harrowing moments as one of the Falcon 9 rocket's engines failed, causing what looked to be an explosion.

What looks pretty dramatic in the video is the engine losing pressure, and the pressure release ruptured the tip of the engine — its fairing. The The Falcon rocket's onboard computer performed flawlessly, immediately rerouting fuel from the failed engine to the other eight, and making on-the-fly changes to its trajectory and speed in order to keep the launch going and on schedule.

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SpaceX issued a statement yesterday:

"Approximately one minute and 19 seconds into last night's launch, the Falcon 9 rocket detected an anomaly on one first stage engine. Initial data suggests that one of the rocket's nine Merlin engines, Engine 1, lost pressure suddenly and an engine shutdown command was issued immediately. We know the engine did not explode, because we continued to receive data from it. Our review indicates that the fairing that protects the engine from aerodynamic loads ruptured due to the engine pressure release, and that none of Falcon 9's other eight engines were impacted by this event.

As designed, the flight computer then recomputed a new ascent profile in real time to ensure Dragon's entry into orbit for subsequent rendezvous and berthing with the ISS. This was achieved, and there was no effect on Dragon or the cargo resupply mission.

Falcon 9 did exactly what it was designed to do. Like the Saturn V, which experienced engine loss on two flights, Falcon 9 is designed to handle an engine out situation and still complete its mission."

The Dragon spacecraft is still on schedule to rendezvous the ISS tomorrow. It will stay docked there for 18 days as it is unloaded and then packed with returning gear, before undocking, re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific on October 28th.

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