From the SpaceX website: “Initial analysis indicates the potential failure of a pressurized tank known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped pressure vessel, containing gaseous nitrogen in Starship’s nosecone area”
https://www.spacex.com/updates/?
From the SpaceX website: “Initial analysis indicates the potential failure of a pressurized tank known as a COPV, or composite overwrapped pressure vessel, containing gaseous nitrogen in Starship’s nosecone area”
https://www.spacex.com/updates/?
10 Comments
From Elon on twitter:
>”Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure.
>
>If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1935660973827952675
Not a rocket scientist or a plumber so this may be a stupid question…but how do we get from a leak of nitrogen (a gas noted for *not* going kaboom) to…well, kaboom?
People smarter than me have developed these things, but man, I am just not sure composites are the way to go for any pressure vessel applications
So a composite construction failed under pressure?
I seem to recall something similar happening a year or so ago with another company.
so it’s like Oceangate but in space? perhaps composites aren’t the best choice for high-pressure mission-critical components…
I recall they had issues with COPV tanks in the very early days of Dragon, probably 15+ years ago now. IIRC they were experimenting with COPV made from carbon fibre or similar, but they kept failing, from memory because it was really hard to get a defect free wrap or something. it’s curious that a COPV was again the cause of a RUD.
Those devices are prone to failures, so why don’t they test them at 200% twice before installation ?
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|——-|———|—|
|[COPV](/r/Space/comments/1lg0xof/stub/mysvw5d “Last usage”)|[Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_overwrapped_pressure_vessel)|
|[RUD](/r/Space/comments/1lg0xof/stub/mysoud7 “Last usage”)|Rapid Unplanned Disassembly|
| |Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly|
| |Rapid Unintended Disassembly|
|[SLS](/r/Space/comments/1lg0xof/stub/mysqz96 “Last usage”)|Space Launch System heavy-lift|
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out of curiosity If it was the COPV in the nosecone then why did it the rocket explode from the middle? does the copv distribute the stored gases somehow and maybe a mainline broke?
He has has quite a string of failures lately. How many of his rockets have blown up this year? Seems the powers that be are preventing him from playing in space..