SpaceX Falcon 9 Suffers Rare In-Flight Failure, Musk Calls It 'RUD'

Jul 12, 2024, 02:36 AM

SpaceX experienced a rare in-flight failure during its recent Falcon 9 launch of 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, California. The second stage engine did not complete its second burn, resulting in the satellites being deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit. SpaceX has made contact with five of the satellites and is attempting to correct their orbits. Elon Musk described the failure as a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' (RUD) of the vacuum-rated Merlin engine. This incident marks the first major in-flight mishap for Falcon 9 in hundreds of launches. The failure has raised concerns about the impact on upcoming missions, including the Polaris Dawn mission scheduled for the end of the month.