(Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
UPDATE: The Federal Aviation Administration is "requiring an investigation," meaning Falcon 9 flights have also been grounded until SpaceX receives regulatory clearance to resume launches.
Original story:
SpaceX has hit another snag with its Falcon 9 rocket, which is causing the company to delay further launches.
The problem occurred with the Falcon 9 rocket for the “Crew-9” mission to the International Space Station. The rocket successfully launched on Saturday, delivering two human astronauts to ISS. But the rocket’s second stage malfunctioned on its return trip to Earth.
In a tweet, SpaceX said that “Falcon 9’s second stage was disposed in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn. As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside of the targeted area.”
“We will resume launching after we better understand root cause,” the company added. Unlike the first stage booster, the second stage is not reusable.
The Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But it’s possible the agency may intervene and ground Falcon 9 flights pending an investigation.
Although the delay might not be long, it risks pushing back SpaceX’s plans to launch more Starlink satellites into orbit. This includes kicking off an initial beta service this fall for the company’s cellular Starlink system for phones.
The incident is also the second time in three months that a second stage Falcon 9 rocket has encountered trouble. In July, a separate Falcon 9 rocket was sent into Earth’s orbit to deliver a batch of Starlink satellites. But a liquid oxygen leak developed in the rocket’s second stage, stopping the Falcon 9 from delivering the satellites into the correct orbit and leading to a total loss to all 20 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX’s investigation isolated that loss to a “failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine.” The components have since been removed from the company’s existing fleet of Falcon 9 rockets, which US regulators cleared to resume launches in late July.
In August, SpaceX then encountered a problem with a Falcon 9 first stage booster, which is designed to land on a drone-powered ship at sea. Instead, the rocket missed the landing and tipped over, causing a fiery blaze. However, SpaceX was allowed to resume Falcon 9 launches a few days later as the FAA continued its investigation into the cause.