Galactic energy has released the results of the investigation into the Ceres-1 launch failure in September which lost the Jilin 1 High Resolution 04B-01 (Gaofen 4B-01) imaging satellite resulting in an insurance loss of US$7.5 million. The lift off occurred at 0459 GMT on 21 September. The rocket was seen to go into a tumble and break up. According to the investigation, attitude control was lost at T+67.50s due to abnormal ablation of the rocket’s first stage nozzle in its diverging section. Analysis found improper manufacturing of a screw hole caused defects in carbon cloth layer. This was the first failure in the flight history of the Ceres-1 in nine orbital attempts.
Ceres-1 breaks up on its first launch failure. Courtesy: Twitter/@CNSpaceflight
