Elon Musk Describes the Cause of the Falcon Heavy Core Booster Crash by SpaceX

 There were new details about last week's Falcon Heavy test flight, including why the rocket's core booster crashed. The rocket's three first-stage boosters were expected to return to Earth after it blasted off last Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A in Florida. The center core of the Falcon Heavy crashed and burned after it landed on twin pads at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Musk told reporters after the launch that the core booster crashed when two of three engines did not fire during a final landing burn.

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Musk has said that the booster missed the landing ship by about 100 meters and hit the water at 300 mph. "Not enough ignition fluid to light the outer two engines after several three engine relights", Musk wrote. The first Falcon Heavy rocket soars into space on Feb.6, 2018, after a successful launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Adding more ignition fluid could be a fix, though Musk did not elaborate.

 "A Shortfall of Gravitas" appears to be the name of the third drone ship that will be used for offshore rocket landings. 

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SpaceX's other two drone ships —"Of Course I Still Love You" and "Just Read The Instructions" — are also named for ships mentioned in Banks' Culture novels. Before the rockets fall into the sea, they need to be caught by another ship with giant metal arms. There is a picture of it here. Musk has said in the past that catching the fairings for reuse could be a significant savings. Musk told reporters after the launch that it was like a giant catcher's mitt. 

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The two side boosters of the first Falcon Heavy rocket approach their landing pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida after a successful test launch in February. The two side boosters of the first Falcon Heavy rocket are about to land in Florida after a successful test launch Feb. 6, 2018. There is still a full slate of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches on the horizon. The company's next launch is on Saturday. The base is from the Air Force. At least two more Falcon Heavy missions are on the docket for this year, along with the many Falcon 9 missions for satellite customers and NASA. The crewed version of Dragon will be used to fly astronauts for NASA. The first test flight of that ship on a rocket is expected next year.

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