4 ms·
"accidental launch" - I am no rocket scientist, but that sounds bad.
by macmac 2y ago
"accidental launch" - I am no rocket scientist, but that sounds bad.
- mr_toad 2y agoI was curious how often this happens. I couldn’t find many examples, and they’re all military: In 2022 India accidentally fired a missile at Pakistan: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/indias-inadvertent-missile-launch-underscores-the-risk-of-accidental-nuclear-warfare/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/indias-inadverten... In 1970 the USAF accidentally launched a missile carrying nuclear material, and it landed in Mexico: https://unredacted.com/2015/07/13/usaf-accidentally-launched-rocket-into-mexicos-mapimi-desert-45-years-ago/ https://unredacted.com/2015/07/13/usaf-accidentally-launched... I’m 1967 the accidental launch of a rocket on board the USS Forrestal killed 134 people and nearly destroyed the ship: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/uss-forrestal-accidental-rocket-launch-nearly-destroyed-navy-aircraft-carrier-208625 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/uss-forrestal-acciden...
- serf 2y agoI think 'accidental launch during a static fire test' deserves a distinction; the ignition wasn't accidental, the restraint failure was.
- mr_toad 2y agoMy brief searching couldn’t find any previous examples of a rocket escaping during a static fire test, or even of an orbital class rocket being launched accidentally, so this may be unique.