For the third time, a SpaceX Falcon 1 launch vehicle failed; this one did not reach orbit after liftoff Aug. 2 from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. It carried two small NASA satellites and the DOD Operationally Responsive Space microsatellite called Trailblazer. (It also carried the ashes of 208 people, including those of astronaut Gordon Cooper, and, for “Star Trek” devotees, actor James “Scotty” Doohan.) In a statement, Elon Musk, SpaceX chairman and CEO, called the failure a “big disappointment,” but he added, “On the plus side, the flight of our first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine that will be used in Falcon 9, was picture perfect.” The problem came with stage separation; they didn’t. Meanwhile, said Musk, SpaceX does not “plan to skip a beat” on the way to flight 4 and 5 of Falcon 1 and is proceeding with fabrication of flight 6. He noted that the company had received “significant investment”—a subsequent Aug. 4 release noted that San Francisco-based Founder’s Fund had provided $20 million—that would ensure “more than sufficient funding on hand” for future work.
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.