FAA Grounds SpaceX Falcon 9 After August 28 Landing Failure, Clears Return to Flight

Aug 31, 2024, 06:36 AM

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket following a landing failure of its booster B1062 during the Starlink 8-6 mission on August 28. The booster, which had completed a record 23 flights, failed to land properly on the droneship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas'. This incident has led to the postponement of the Polaris Dawn mission, which was set to feature the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk. However, the FAA has now cleared SpaceX to resume Falcon 9 flights while the investigation into the landing anomaly continues. SpaceX has quickly resumed operations, launching two Falcon 9 rockets carrying a total of 42 Starlink satellites from both Florida and California. The launches included satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities, marking a successful return to flight for SpaceX.