http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060718/ap_on_sc/new_rocket

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The maiden launch of a private rocket bankrolled by a
millionaire entrepreneur was doomed by leaking fuel that caught fire seconds
after liftoff, a government review board said Tuesday.

The Falcon 1 rocket, built by Space Explorations Technologies, launched
March 24 from the Pacific island of Kwajalein Atoll. But the fire caused the
rocket to fail 34 seconds after liftoff, investigators found.

The review determined that "the only plausible cause" of the fire was a
corroded aluminum nut that allowed fuel to leak onto the main engine. The
fire then caused a loss of pressure that shut down the engine.

The investigative panel comprised government and SpaceX officials, and was
headed by the
*Pentagon* <http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Pentagon>'s research
arm, known as DARPA.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who also co-founded the PayPal Inc. electronic
payment system now owned by eBay, wrote on his Web site earlier this month:
"No major surprises were uncovered in the course of the investigation." The
company plans two more Falcon launches this year, according to its Web site.

The rocket carried FalconSat-2 as part of an Air Force Academy satellite
program intended to measure space plasma phenomena that can interfere with
communications through space.

Falcon 1 is a 70-foot-long, two-stage rocket powered by liquid oxygen and
kerosene. Its first stage is designed to parachute into the ocean to be
recovered and used again.
Falcon 1 is intended to be the first in a family of low-cost rockets. The
rocket is designed to carry up to 1,254 pounds to low orbit for $6.7
million.

[www.spacex.com had not been updated at post time]


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