News Interstellar Technologies MOMO-2 failure

[Andy44]

Hadn't heard about this one, a startup in Japan attempted a launch today and the vehicle crashed and burned on the pad:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fiery-explosion-private-firms-rocket-054950894.html

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rocket-developed-japanese-startup-explodes-liftoff-135610687.html

 

[DaveS]

Video is here: [ame="https://youtu.be/3NYItZutXmo?t=5317"]観測ロケット MOMO2号機 打ち上げ LIVE中継 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Artlav]

Well, an apogee of 30 meters is not that great for a 10 meter tall rocket.

I wonder what went wrong - the ascent looked unnaturally slow from the start, it feels like the engine was underperforming even before the whatever (a pump?) blew up.

 

[boogabooga]

You can see flames around the bottom of the vehicle but above the nozzle (where there probably shouldn't be) from the ignition time on.

 

[Urwumpe]

You can see flames around the bottom of the vehicle but above the nozzle (where there probably shouldn't be) from the ignition time on.

Yeah, right where the launch pad connected to, which is a rather bad place for a turbogenerator exhaust. But then, I don't know how the configuration of the rocket to tell anything there.

EDIT: according to this:

http://www.istellartech.com/7hbym/w...img/technology/MOMOUsersguide_eng_ver.0.2.pdf

Its a pressure fed ethanol + LOX engine. So no turbopump around.

 

[n122vu]

You can see flames around the bottom of the vehicle but above the nozzle (where there probably shouldn't be) from the ignition time on.

Not sure I can see it from right at ignition. As the smoke vapor clears at liftoff the red stabilizer fin on the left becomes suddenly visible. Stopping the video at 1:28:44, everything looks ok to me, but a split second later something appears to "pop" on the left side and a flame suddenly shoots out.

 

[Urwumpe]

The accident looks like the fuel line failed, possibly it was already leaking after opening the engine prevalves. For some time, the engine was running well, but already in flames, then the fuel supply suddenly ceased and the flames increased.

Maybe it was also a combination of causes - for example that a engine control system shutdown the fuel valves because of a redline and a pressure hammer destroyed the already damaged fuel line.

 

[mahdavi3d]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpRm1-XF9oM"]Japan's Private Rocket - The Momo (Yes, It Exploded) - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Some slo-mo of the launch, high and low angle. Definitely a burn-through failure.