SpaceX Falcon 9 Grounded, FAA Requires Public Safety Investigation Following Starlink Mission Failure

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an investigation before another launch can occur, following the in-flight failure of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The failure occurred during SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the 2024, designated Starlink 9-3. The mission began promisingly with a liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, 2024 at 7:35 p.m. PDT (10:35 p.m. EDT, 0235 UTC).

However, issues arose during the burn of the Falcon 9’s second stage when an unusual amount of ice was observed accumulating around the Merlin Vacuum engine in camera views from the rocket.

Watch Video: https://youtu.be/I2klvDvmtFc

SpaceX later confirmed the second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak during its first burn. This issue prevented the Merlin Vacuum engine from completing its second burn to raise the perigee, or the lowest point of orbit.

Consequently, the satellites were deployed into an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135 km, which is significantly lower than intended.

Efforts to contact the satellites and send early burn commands were made, but the satellites remained in a high-drag environment only 135 km above Earth. Each pass through perigee reduced the orbit’s apogee, the highest point in the satellite orbit, by more than 5 km. Given this level of drag, the maximum available thrust was insufficient to raise the satellites’ orbits, leading to their inevitable re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere where they will fully demise.

SpaceX assured that the satellites do not pose a threat to other satellites or public safety.

The FAA released a statement acknowledging the anomaly.

“The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 mission that launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 11. The incident involved the failure of the upper stage rocket while it was in space. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation....The FAA will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions,” the agency continued." - FAA Statement

As the investigation into the engine malfunction continues, the space industry watches closely, understanding that the results could have significant impacts on upcoming missions and the broader landscape of space exploration. This event serves as a stark reminder of the technical challenges inherent in spaceflight.

To date, SpaceX has completed 364 successful Falcon launches, safely delivering astronauts, customer payloads, and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit, establishing the Falcon family of rockets as one of the most reliable in the world.

SpaceX will now conduct a full investigation in coordination with the FAA to determine the root cause and implement corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions. With robust satellite and rocket production capabilities and a high launch cadence, SpaceX remains poised to rapidly recover and maintain its position as the world’s most active launch services provider.