SpaceX's reliable Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following a recent failure that led to the loss of a batch of Starlink satellites. This marks the first such incident in over seven years, raising concerns within the global space industry.
The incident occurred roughly an hour after the Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday night. The rocket's second stage failed to reignite, resulting in the deployment of 20 Starlink satellites on a shallow orbital path. These satellites are now expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, effectively ending their mission.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, took to his social media platform X early Friday morning to address the failure. He mentioned that the engine experienced a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) due to reasons currently unknown. Musk also announced that SpaceX is updating the software of the Starlink satellites to enhance their onboard thrusters, aiming to prevent a fiery atmospheric re-entry. \"Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it's worth a shot,\" Musk commented.
The FAA has stated that the Falcon 9 will remain grounded until SpaceX completes a thorough investigation of the failure, implements necessary fixes, and obtains approval from the agency. This process could take several weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of the issue and SpaceX's corrective measures.
NASA has confirmed that it is actively monitoring all Falcon 9 missions. A spokesperson for the space agency stated, \"SpaceX has been forthcoming with information and is including NASA in the company's ongoing anomaly investigation to understand the issue and path forward.\"
SpaceX reported that the failure was triggered by a leak of liquid oxygen, a key propellant, in the rocket's second stage. While the Thursday night mission was an in-house launch, the grounding of the Falcon 9 is expected to impact upcoming customer missions that rely on this dependable rocket.
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SpaceX rocket grounded after failure dooms some Starlink satellites
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