Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA - SpaceX's latest Starlink satellite launch ended in a rare malfunction, as the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage engine suffered a catastrophic failure, known as a "Rapid Unplanned Disassembly" (RUD), during a final burn to raise the orbit's low point. The incident occurred on July 11, 2024, at approximately 10:35 PM EDT.
An on-board camera captured spectacular views of the Falcon 9's second stage engine during the first of two planned firings, including shots of an unusual ice buildup just above the engine at right, and a large chunk of ice falling away at left that is seen at the moment the heat of the engine begins vaporizing it. The engine apparently exploded, or came apart in some fashion, during a planned second burn. Credit: SpaceX
The Falcon 9 rocket, using a first stage making its 19th flight, lifted off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 20 Starlink satellites into space. The first stage performed nominally, separating from the second stage as expected and returning to Earth for a successful droneship landing, marking SpaceX's 329th recovery of an orbital-class rocket.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the incident on X, stating, "Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown."Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown," he said on X. "Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause. Starlink satellites were deployed, but the perigee (orbital low point) may be too low for them to raise orbit. Will know more in a few hours."
Musk added that the Starlink team was busy "updating satellite software to run the ion thrusters at their equivalent of warp 9. Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it's worth a shot. The satellite thrusters need to raise orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down or they burn up."
However, according to latest information provided by SpaceX, a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage, leading to an anomaly in the Merlin Vacuum engine during its second burn. Although the stage survived and deployed the satellites, it did not successfully circularize its orbit, leaving the satellites in an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135 km. Despite efforts to contact the satellites and send early burn commands, they will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and fully demise due to the high-drag environment.
SpaceX has completed 364 successful Falcon launches to date, carrying astronauts, customer payloads, and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit, making the Falcon family of rockets one of the most reliable in the world. The company will perform a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine the root cause, and make corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aware of the anomaly and has announced that it will require an investigation into the incident. The FAA stated that no public injuries or property damage have been reported, but the investigation aims to enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to prevent it from happening again.
The FAA will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX's final report, including any corrective actions. A return to flight is contingent upon the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety. Additionally, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license, incorporating any corrective actions and meeting all other licensing requirements
This incident marks a rare failure for the reliable Falcon 9 rocket, which has launched over 6,700 Starlink satellites in 181 flights, with approximately 6,200 presumed operational. While the loss of this batch of Starlink satellites is not a significant setback for SpaceX, it may interrupt the company's rapid launch sequence. The malfunction and FAA investigation will likely impact plans to launch entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and three crewmates at the end of the month atop a Falcon 9 on a commercial flight named Polaris Dawn that is to include the first spacewalks by non-government astronauts. It may also impact NASA's plans to launch a fresh crew to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule around Aug. 19 under Crew 9 mission. Apart from that, SpaceX aims to launch over 140 flights this year, and this incident may also impact their plans.
The investigation into the engine failure is ongoing, and SpaceX will likely work to resolve the issue promptly to minimize the impact on their launch schedule. With a robust satellite and rocket production capability and a high launch cadence, SpaceX is positioned to rapidly recover and continue its pace as the world's most active launch services provider.
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