There is trouble afoot for the makers of a new generation of rockets capable of putting 20 tonnes in orbit. Last week, US air force investigators pinpointed the cause of the failure of Boeing’s Delta 4 heavy launcher, which failed to place its cargo in the correct orbit on its maiden flight in December. Its sensors shut off the first-stage engines too soon because bubbles in the fuel lines made them think the fuel had run out.
Meanwhile Arianespace, the European company behind the Ariane 5 family, is hoping it will be second time lucky for the heavy version of…
