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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

TRACKING WITH CLOSEUPS: SpaceX: Landing Failure Due to Fatigue Failure in Engine Heat Shield Cover

The engine cover failed during ascent of the first stage booster during the launch on 2021-02-15, leading to a premature shutdown of the engine. The Falcon 9 first stage has an engine-out capability, so the remaining eight engines successfully completed the burn and allowed the second stage to delver the payload as planned. But damage to the engine caused it to fail during the re-entry burn, leading to failure to recover the booster. The engine cover that failed was the “fleet leader”, with more previous flights than any other of the same design. It was pure bad luck that the damaged engine was one of the three chosen to fire for the re-entry burn.

Posted at March 2, 2021 16:57