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The ULA Atlas 5
rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida on March 22 carrying an Orbital ATK cargo ship bound for
the International Space Station.
The rocket’s Russian-made RD-180 engine shut down about six
seconds early, but the booster’s second-stage motor compensated
for the shortfall by firing longer, ULA said in a statement.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.
Orbital’s Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the space station on
Saturday, as scheduled, despite the problem.
ULA said preliminary indications pointed to a problem with the
rocket’s first-stage fuel system and related components, but the
investigation was continuing to find the root cause and identify
appropriate solutions before any further flights.
The U.S. Air Force, which is ULA’s primary customer, is
participating in the review, ULA said.
The company last week delayed its next Atlas 5 launch by at
least a week while analysis is underway.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Andrea Shalal and James
Dalgleish)
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