Why Did the Falcon Heavy Center Core Fall Off the ASDS OCISLY?

On February 6, 2018, the Falcon Heavy center core attempted to land on the ASDS OCISLY barge, but it fell off and was destroyed. The incident was a setback for SpaceX, but the company is continuing to investigate the cause of the failure.

 

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There are several possible reasons why the Falcon Heavy center core fell off the ASDS OCISLY. One possibility is that the seas were too high. The waves were reportedly up to 10 feet high on the day of the launch, which could have made it difficult for the barge to stay stable.

 

Another possibility is that the winds were too strong. The winds were reportedly gusting up to 30 miles per hour, which could have also contributed to the barge's instability.

 

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It is also possible that the barge was damaged during the launch. The Falcon Heavy is a powerful rocket, and the launch could have caused the barge to sustain some damage. This damage could have made the barge more likely to tip over.

 

Another possibility is that the landing gear on the center core failed. The landing gear is designed to absorb the impact of the landing, and if it failed, it could have caused the center core to bounce off the barge and fall into the water.

 

 

 

Finally, it is also possible that a software glitch caused the center core to land incorrectly. The Falcon Heavy uses a complex software system to control the rocket's flight, and a glitch in this system could have caused the center core to land off target.

SpaceX has not yet released a definitive explanation for why the Falcon Heavy center core fell off the ASDS OCISLY. However, the company is continuing to investigate the incident.

 

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In the meantime, SpaceX has taken steps to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. The company has strengthened the barge and improved the landing gear on the center core. SpaceX has also implemented new software safeguards to prevent software glitches from causing the rocket to land incorrectly.

 

 

The loss of the Falcon Heavy center core was a setback for SpaceX, but the company is committed to learning from the incident and preventing it from happening again. SpaceX is a leader in the commercial space industry, and the company is constantly innovating and improving its technology. The company is confident that it will be able to overcome this setback and continue to push the boundaries of space exploration.