SpaceX is looking to resume Falcon 9 rocket launches soon. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, the Federal Aviation Administration said the company was seeking a public safety determination.
That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, according to the agency. If approved, it would allow SpaceX to resume Falcon 9 rocket launches while the investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly disaster continues.
“The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process,” the FAA said in a statement.
After liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, Falcon 9’s second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak, which prevented it from orbiting before launching the 20 Starlink satellites.
That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, according to the agency. If approved, it would allow SpaceX to resume Falcon 9 rocket launches while the investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly disaster continues.
“The FAA is responsible and committed to protecting the public during launch and reentry operations of commercial space transportation,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process.”
After liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, Falcon 9’s second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak, which prevented it from orbiting before launching the 20 Starlink satellites.
The FAA has two ways to allow a rocket to return to flight operations after a disaster. The first is that it approves a final operator-led accident investigation report, which will include “identification of any corrective actions.” These actions must be implemented and all related licensing requirements must be met.
The other option is to issue a public safety determination. That would be an option if “the patches did not involve safety-critical systems or otherwise endanger public safety,” according to the FAA.
“The FAA will review the request and, if agreed, will authorize a return to flight operations while the accident investigation remains open and provided the operator complies with all applicable licensing requirements,” the FAA wrote on its website. .
After the Starlink 9-3 anomaly, SpaceX described its preliminary findings on its website, noting that the leak of liquid oxygen prevented the Merlin vacuum engine in the upper stage from completing its second burn.
“Although the stage survived and still deployed the satellites, it did not successfully circle its orbit, but was deactivated as is usually done at the end of each mission,” SpaceX wrote on July 12. “This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit. with a very low perigee of 135 km, which is less than half the expected perigee height.”
“At this level of pull, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be sufficient to successfully lift the satellites,” SpaceX added. “As such, the satellites will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and disappear completely. They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”
If the FAA agrees with SpaceX’s determination, the Falcon 9 can resume launch. The company has preliminary plans to launch both the Starlink 10-4 and Starlink 10-9 missions from its two launch pads in Florida later this week. That will be pending FAA approval, of course.
That said, SpaceX may have to wait until the investigation is over before it can resume launching customer and government missions, such as the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft or the Crew-9 astronaut flight.
Following the anomaly, NASA released a statement noting that it receives “information from SpaceX on all items of interest related to the Falcon 9 rocket as part of the agency’s fleet.”
“Crew safety and mission assurance are top priorities for NASA. “SpaceX has provided information and is engaging NASA in the company’s ongoing investigation of the anomaly to understand the issue and the way forward,” NASA said in a June 12 statement. “NASA will provide updates on the agency’s missions, including potential impacts of the plan, if any, as more information becomes available.”
Spaceflight Now reached out to NASA, asking if the FAA required the SpaceX-led accident investigation to be completed before NASA missions could resume using the Falcon 9 rocket. This story will be updated when a response is received.