SpaceX’s fleet of Falcon 9 rockets has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration after a Thursday launch from California caused an upper stage failure that put a group of Starlink satellites into an eccentric orbit.
The FAA grounding has an immediate impact on the Space Coast’s launch schedule — which is on a record pace this year. However, 46 of the 50 missions so far through 2024 have been Falcon 9 launches from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
In a statement Friday, the FAA said, “an investigation is designed to further enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid its recurrence.”
“A return to flight is based on the FAA’s determination that any system, process or procedure related to the disaster does not affect public safety. In addition, SpaceX may need to seek and obtain approval from the FAA to modify the license that includes any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements,” the statement said.
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In the short term in Brevard County, the establishment of the Falcon 9 program could be delayed indefinitely:
- The Starlink 10-4 mission early Sunday morning, which was scheduled to lift off before dawn from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Another early morning Starlink mission scheduled for Wednesday.
- The Polaris Dawn mission led by Commander Jared Isaacman, which will send four civilians into orbit to perform the first commercial spacewalk. The high-profile launch was set for no earlier than July 31.
Thursday’s ill-fated Falcon 9 mission took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying a payload of 20 Starlink satellites. In a statement on SpaceX’s website, company officials said a liquid oxygen leak developed in the upper stage, which put the satellites just 135 kilometers above Earth — less than half the expected perigee altitude.
These satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and be “totally destroyed,” the statement said, and “they pose no threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”
“This event is a reminder of how technically challenging spaceflight is. To date, we have completed 364 successful Falcon launches — safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads and thousands of Starlink satellites into orbit — making the family of Falcon rockets one of the most reliable in the world”, says the SpaceX statement.
“SpaceX will conduct a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine the root cause and take corrective action to ensure the success of future missions,” the statement said.
“With a robust satellite and rocket manufacturing capability, and a high launch rate, we are positioned to recover quickly and continue our momentum as the world’s most active launch services provider,” the statement said.
Major SpaceX disasters have been rare in Florida. In June 2015, a Falcon 9 exploded 2 minutes and 19 seconds after takeoff from what was then Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. That rocket carried a SpaceX Dragon capsule filled with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies destined for the International Space Station. Engineers blamed a broken pole that caused an oxygen tank explosion.
Then, in September 2016, a Falcon 9 spectacularly exploded on the pad during a fuel test at the Air Force station, destroying a $200 million communications satellite. The explosion led to changes in helium loading operations.
Isaacman previously funded Inspiration4, the first all-private orbital space mission that launched aboard a Falcon 9 in September 2021 from KSC. In a Friday tweet, he praised SpaceX’s “remarkable track record” with the workhorse rocket.
“I can say from personal experience that they are very transparent when problems arise. I have no doubt that they will quickly get to a cause and ensure that the most cost-effective and reliable launch vehicle continues to send payloads into orbit ,” Isaacman said in the tweet.
“As for Polaris Dawn, we will fly whenever SpaceX is ready and with full confidence in the rocket, spacecraft and operations,” he said.
In addition to the 46 Falcon 9 missions, only four other orbital rockets have lifted off this year from the Space Coast:
In light of Friday’s FAA decision, the next rocket finally scheduled on the Space Coast calendar is USSF-51, a July 30 ULA Atlas V launch on a Space Force national security mission. The rocket will fly from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
For the latest news from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a space reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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