Rocket-propellant leak cleaned

  • Published
Officials completed cleanup efforts Aug. 14 after rocket propellant leaked Aug. 12 as it was being loaded onto a Titan IV rocket.

Base officials said no one was injured, and there was no damage to the launch vehicle.

Preliminary findings indicate that during the load of the propellant, an oxidizer pump motor failed. The release occurred in the oxidizer holding area. The entire launch complex was evacuated.

An estimated 40 gallons leaked during the incident. The oxidizer and pump system were isolated from the rest of the rocket systems for inspection, and the crew found no additional leaks.

The second stage of the Titan IV uses nitrogen tetroxide, a toxic hypergolic oxidizer. The plume dissipated harmlessly before reaching populated areas of nearby Kennedy Space Center. As a precautionary measure, Kennedy officials were notified about the incident.

"Our emergency-response team was immediately dispatched to the scene to secure the site and assess the potential risk to those at Cape Canaveral and the surrounding area," said Col. Ev Thomas, 45th Space Wing vice commander. "All those involved were in full protective equipment and were able to control the leak within minutes."

For every fueling operation, worst-case scenarios are modeled by range safety workers to ensure the overall safety and security of the operation. Calculations include weather conditions, amount of propellant and potential failures. If at any time a condition exists that exceeds established safety criteria, the operation is immediately stopped.

The scheduled Aug. 18 launch has been rescheduled for Aug. 20. The investigation into the pump-motor failure continues.