United Launch Alliance
Earlier today, I found out online that United Launch Alliance (ULA) will de-stack the Vulcan Centaur rocket intended for the launch of Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander...and return the Centaur V upper stage back to ULA's rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama, for modifications.
The Vulcan's core stage booster, which recently conducted its Flight Readiness Firing as shown in the image above, will be temporarily stored inside a horizontal processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida.
ULA revealed the cause of the anomaly that led to the destruction of a Centaur V test article at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, about three months ago. Apparently, the metal skin on Centaur V's liquid hydrogen fuel tank is so thin—which was by design for weight-saving purposes—that gaseous hydrogen (comprised of molecules so small that they can seep through solid surfaces) leaked from the top of the upper stage...causing the explosion which damaged the test article.
ULA plans to reinforce the top of each Centaur V fuel tank—including the flight hardware that is now at CCSFS—due to this flaw. ULA will also select another Centaur V to be used as a structural article at MSFC, to complete the qualification testing for the upper stage motor.
How long it will take to modify and test the Centaur V for Peregrine's Vulcan rocket, and when it will return to Florida, remains to be seen. Will the first flight of Vulcan Centaur even take place before the end of this year?
Stay tuned.
United Launch Alliance
Astrobotic
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