FARNBOROUGH, England — ABL Space Systems says the rocket it planned to use for the company’s first launch in 18 months suffered “irrecoverable” damage in a fire after a test firing, further delaying its return to flight.
In a brief statement on social media July 22, ABL said its RS1 rocket, which was being prepared for a launch from Kodiak Island, Alaska, was damaged in a fire after a static-fire test on the pad there July 19.
“After a pre-flight static fire test on Friday, a residual pad fire caused irrecoverable damage to RS1. The team is investigating root cause and will provide updates as the investigation progresses,” the company stated. It did not disclose additional details about the incident.
The company has kept a low profile in recent months as it prepared for the launch, the second for the RS1. Before this statement, the company’s last public comment was a blog post in May about engine testing. The company noted in March that it had begun “pre-launch operations” for the mission.
The launch was to be the first since the inaugural RS1 launch in January 2023. That launch suffered a shutdown of all nine first-stage engines 10 seconds after liftoff, causing the vehicle to fall back near the pad and explode. That explosion damaged equipment and facilities at the Kodiak pad. The company said last October it was preparing for its second launch but provided little information about preparations since then.
Despite the failure and slow path to return to flight, the company has won launch business for the RS1, capable of placing about a metric ton into low Earth orbit. The company won a $60 million strategic funding increase, or STRATFI, in March 2023 from the U.S. Space Force and Air Force to demonstrate tactically responsive capabilities. The award includes $30 million in government funding and $30 million in matching private investment.
In June, Scout Space announced it selected ABL Space Systems to launch a telescope for space domain awareness observations on the vehicle’s third launch, which at the time was scheduled for later this year. Scout said it chose ABL because if offered a quicker path to launch than flying on SpaceX Transporter missions that are booked for the next year.
ABL has Lockheed Martin as both an investor and major customer, with Lockheed making a block buy of up to 58 launches of the RS1 in 2021. Lockheed also plans to use the RS1 for its “U.K. Pathfinder” launch for the U.K. Space Agency under a contract awarded in 2018. That launch, from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, was expected later in 2025, U.K. government officials said at the Farnborough International Airshow July 22.
