All articles tagged with #payload fairing
JAXA's seventh H3 launch failed when the payload fairing detached about four minutes after liftoff, leaving the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite to fall back into the Pacific; investigators are probing the cause, and the anomaly could delay future H3 missions and planned payloads like MMX and HTV-X.
Japan’s eighth H3 rocket failed after its payload fairing separated, causing the roughly 5-ton Michibiki 5 navigation satellite to be lost in Pacific debris; telemetry hints at a LH2 tank pressure drop and possible damage to the satellite mounting, with investigators considering a fairing–satellite impact or residual stress as potential causes. The second stage briefly placed the vehicle in a low-altitude orbit before reentry hours later, and Japan’s MMX mission launch remains awaiting a full investigation before proceeding.
The payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, which protected three satellites during launch, made a dramatic re-entry to Earth's atmosphere at 15 times the speed of sound. The fairing halves were not recovered, but SpaceX aimed to recover them after the flight. The primary payload was ViaSat-3 Americas, a telecom satellite operated by ViaSat, which launched with two companions: Arcturus, a communications satellite from Astranis Space Technologies, and GS-1, a cubesat from Gravity Space. Falcon Heavy has now launched a total of six times, including twice this year.