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Friday, August 20, 2021
CONTEXT: OneWeb/Soyuz Launch #9 Abort—Clueless Commentator Comically Confused
Let's watch the last minute of the countdown to the scheduled launch of 32 OneWeb satellites from Baikonur on a Soyuz launcher under contract to Arianespace. The launch sequencer cut off the countdown prior to start of the ignition sequence (in fact, before detachment of the second umbilical, which precedes it). News of this apparently failed to reach the Arianespace commentator who, unlike those on SpaceX launch webcasts who hail from the engineering staff, seems to represent the public relations department.
In any case, as the rocket just sits there long after the scheduled launch time, we're treated to a hilarious description of “smoke billowing” around it (just condensation from the cold liquid oxygen tanks) and the ignition process which wasn't happening. So far, there have been no reports of what caused the cutoff or announcement of the next launch attempt.
Posted at August 20, 2021 09:48