13-7-2024 (WASHINGTON) SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following a rare launch failure that doomed a payload of Starlink satellites. The incident, which occurred on July 11th during a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marks the first such failure for the Falcon 9 in more than seven years, raising concerns within the global space industry that relies heavily on the rocket’s reliability.
Approximately an hour after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s second stage failed to reignite its engine, preventing the deployment of 20 Starlink satellites into their intended orbit. Instead, the satellites were released on a shallow orbital path, where they are expected to rapidly reenter and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged the failure, referring to it as an engine “RUD” (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly), typically indicating an explosion, for reasons currently unknown. The FAA swiftly grounded the Falcon 9 until SpaceX investigates the cause, implements fixes, and receives the agency’s approval to resume launches.
This process could take several weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the issue and SpaceX’s proposed solution. The company has initiated efforts to update the software of the Starlink satellites, forcing their onboard thrusters to fire harder than usual in a long-shot attempt to avoid atmospheric reentry, though Musk himself expressed skepticism about its success.
As such, the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise. They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.https://t.co/96M1qY6Juw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
The botched mission breaks SpaceX’s impressive streak of more than 300 consecutive successful launches, a remarkable achievement that solidified the company’s dominance in the launch industry. Nations and space companies worldwide have come to rely heavily on the privately-owned SpaceX, valued at approximately $270 billion, to launch their satellites and astronauts into space.
While the July 11th mission was an in-house operation, the grounding of the Falcon 9 is likely to impact SpaceX’s upcoming customer missions, including potential delays for NASA’s next astronaut launch to the International Space Station and the highly anticipated Polaris Dawn commercial spacewalk mission.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 20 @Starlink satellites to orbit from California, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities https://t.co/aXuY7ZXXrO
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
Despite this setback, industry experts remain optimistic about SpaceX’s ability to recover quickly. “They have a much better rate than almost any other rocket developed in terms of the success of their mission,” said Will Whitehorn, chair of the venture capital firm Seraphim Space Investment Trust.
Musk has acknowledged the need for a thorough investigation, pledging to “look for any other potential near-misses” while expressing confidence in SpaceX’s ability to rectify the issue and resume the rocket’s successful launch cadence, which saw a record 96 missions in 2023 alone.
