To make its Falcon 9 rocket more powerful, SpaceX has decided to keep its propellant at super-cold temperatures to shrink its size, allowing the private space company to pack more fuel into the rocket’s tanks. But safety experts worry that this approach comes with major risks, because to use fuel at such extremely low temperatures the propellant must be loaded right before takeoff, while astronauts are already abroad. As a result, an accident or spark during the loading could set off an explosion and harm the crew.
SpaceX’s proposal has raised alarms from members of Congress and NASA safety advisers as the company prepares for manned flights as early as this year, reports The Washington Post. A NASA advisory group warned in a letter that the chosen fueling method was “contrary to booster safety criteria that has been in place for over 50 years.”
In September 2016, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blew up while being fueled ahead of a launch-pad engine test. No one was hurt, but the payload that was already on board, a multi-million dollar satellite, was destroyed. Many people immediately questioned: What if astronauts had been on board?
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