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Marc Boucher
MEDIA ADVISORY: SpaceX to Hold CRS-7 Update Telecon
“SpaceX is hosting a 30-minute telecon for members of the media at noon PDT/3pm EDT on Monday, July 20 to discuss preliminary results to our investigation into the CRS-7 mishap.”
Marc Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor, podcaster and publisher who has worked in space media for more than 25 years. In 1999 he co-founded SpaceRef with Keith Cowing. The new media company grew into a network that included NASA Watch and The Astrobiology Web. After selling SpaceRef, he joined Multiverse Media, which later merged with SpaceNews. There he helped steer the combined company toward more multimedia, a subscription paywall and intelligence products, and pushed for a mobile app. He is also the founder of SpaceQ Media, Canada’s space news and market intelligence publication.
Marc started his first Internet content business in 1992 and hasn’t looked back. When he’s not working, he loves exploring Canada and the world and expanding his photography skills.
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Sounds like the likely cause is a failed strut (not made by SpaceX) holding a helium tank inside the 2nd stage LOX tank.
Presumably SpaceX designed and installed the strut; who fabricated it? … oh, they’re not going to say. OK, what was defective about it? How hard can it be to make a strut?
Jeff Foust from spacenews.com quote from Elon Musk accident happened quickly: first indication of problem to failure in .893 sec. At ~3.2 g, strut holding down He tank snapped, released lots of He into LOX tank. Strut failed at 1/5th rated force, no evidence of damage to it in closeout photos before launch. Strut that failed was from a supplier; not naming the company. So its not SpaceX fault for the CRS-7 Launch failure but the unname supplier sale them defected strut for Helium COPV bottle.
One more item to bring in house.
They’re not going to make the strut, but get it from a different vendor I think.