The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket after it failed during a mission on Thursday. The ground stop could last months depending on the progress of an investigation, although the Falcon 9s strong track record will likely work in its favor.
Falcon 9 blasting off to orbit carrying a commercial payload. Credit: SpaceX
FAA grounds SpaceX Falcon 9
On Thursday evening, Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying a payload of 20 Starlink satellites. However, following a successful first phase of launch, the rocket's second-stage engine failed to fire up during the second phase. This has effectively doomed the 20 Starlink satellites as they did not reach a sufficient level of orbit, meaning they are being pulled in by Earth's gravity and will eventually enter the atmosphere and burn up.
The incident marks the first failure of the Falcon 9 in almost eight years, with the rocket having completed over 360 successful launches since its debut in 2010. Despite this setback, industry insiders remain optimistic that the ground stop will be lifted within weeks, given SpaceX's impressive track record. Many countries and space companies rely on privately owned SpaceX, valued at roughly US$200 billion (S$270 billion), to send their satellites and astronauts into space.
The FAA has announced that it will be involved in every step of the investigation and will not allow the Falcon 9 to launch until the issue is resolved. SpaceX is currently investigating the cause of the
failure, with early indications pointing to a liquid oxygen leak.
The exact moment when things went sideways with the second stage of Falcon 9 starlink mission. Credit : SpaceX
All SpaceX Falcon 9 flights are indefinitely postponed while the FAA investigates the malfunction from the California launch. While the lost satellites "do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety," according to a SpaceX statement, the FAA will need to make sure other Falcon 9 rockets are not at risk of falling apart and causing potential harm to people on Earth.
"A return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," the FAA said in a statement. "In addition, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements."
That process could take several weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the failure and SpaceX’s plan to fix it.
In a last-ditch effort to save some of the Starlink satellites, SpaceX is attempting to overclock their ion thrusters to reach a higher orbit. However, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has acknowledged that the attempt is unlikely to succeed.
In short term, the Falcon 9 program grounding could halt another Starlink launch named 10-4 which was set for Sunday's early morning liftoff before dawn as well as another morning starlink mission scheduled for Wednesday. This investigation could also potentially delay the Polaris Dawn mission in July and a NASA mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) in August. It's yet to be seen whether this will have any adverse effect on SpaceX's next gen launch vehicle - Starship and its next orbital test flight. SpaceX's 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship, has flown four test flights to date. And number five should be just around the corner, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. "Flight 5 in 4 weeks," Musk said Friday (July 5) via X, the social media platform he owns. Considering the success of the previous test flight on June 6, 2024, and the goals achieved, it is likely that Starship will continue with its test program.
It is important to note that SpaceX usually announces the schedule for its test flights shortly before the event, so it is difficult to predict when Starship's next test flight will occur. However, based on the progress made so far, it is possible that Starship's next test flight could happen before the Falcon 9 returns to service.
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