What happened
On 9 January 2023, the launch operator attempted the first orbital launch from the United Kingdom, utilizing the LauncherOne two-stage orbital launch vehicle. The mission was designed to deploy a payload of satellites into orbit. The launch sequence involved a modified Boeing 747-400 (known as Cosmic Girl) carrying the rocket to the launch area before releasing it.
While the carrier aircraft successfully reached the launch site and released the rocket, the mission failed to achieve its primary objective. Although the first stage ignited and separated as planned, the second stage failed to reach orbital velocity. Consequently, the second stage and its payload fell back to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Canary Islands, within the pre-approved flight corridor.
The investigation
The UK’s Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA) engaged in a joint oversight investigation alongside the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The investigation was complicated by US export control regulations, specifically the Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA), which delayed the flow of real-time technical data to UK investigators.
In early 2023, SAIA inspectors visited the operator's facilities in California to review investigation methodologies and factory testing. However, the operator's subsequent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2023 led to the suspension of their support for the SAIA investigation due to financial constraints, resulting in the cessation of the company's operations.
Findings
Technical analysis of the flight data and ground testing revealed that the failure originated within the fuel feedline of the second stage. It was determined that a fuel filter dislodged from its proper position during the initial burn of the Newton 4 second-stage engine.
This displacement caused the downstream fuel pump to operate with reduced efficiency, leading to insufficient fuel flow to the engine. The resulting drop in fuel flow caused the engine to operate at significantly higher temperatures than intended. The extreme heat caused nearby components to malfunction, triggering an early shutdown of the second-stage engine. The investigation found no evidence that the UK licensing process or the operations at Spaceport Cornwall contributed to the failure.