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Launch launch ABL Space Systems’ first orbital launch test failed on Tuesday after all nine engines on the RS1 rocket’s first stage shut down simultaneously. The rocket then hit the launch pad and was destroyed on impact.
The rocket lifted off from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska’s Kodiak Island at 6:27 PM EST. It is unclear how quickly the engines failed after liftoff. The rocket was carrying a technology demonstration CubeSat for data analytics company Omnitech. When the charge went off, no one was hurt by the rocket’s impact.
As is customary with unusual rocket launches, the company is working with Spaceport and US Federal Aviation Administration officials to investigate the cause of the engine shutdown.
ABL president Dan Piemont told TechCrunch that while the investigation is still in its early stages, “there is strong evidence of a similar shutdown, but it will take time for the team to narrow down the contributing factors and root cause.”
ABL’s 88-foot-tall rocket RS1, like Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha vehicle, can carry up to 1,350 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The company has previously said each launch will cost about $12 million, putting it in a field of competitors looking to offer fast launch services at lower prices.
Tuesday’s failure comes just one day after Virgin’s orbital mission had its own problem that ended the mission prematurely. Two other rockets also experienced failures last month: Arianespace’s Vega-C and Chinese company Landspace’s Zukuk-2, which will be the first methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit.
ABL has raised $420 million since inception in 2017, including a $200 million Series B extension round due in December 2021 at a $2.4 billion valuation. The investors include Lockheed Martin, which bought 58 startups from startups last April.
“The Flight 2 vehicle is fully assembled and ready to begin its flight campaign, so we’re scrambling a little bit to continue once the Flight 1 investigation is complete,” Piedmont said.
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