SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences Rare In-Flight Failure, 20 Starlink Satellites Imperiled, FAA Grounds Fleet

Jul 12, 2024, 04:53 PM

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experienced a rare in-flight failure during a Starlink satellite launch from Vandenberg, California on Thursday night. The second-stage engine failed to complete its second burn, resulting in 20 Starlink satellites being deployed into a lower than intended orbit. This marks the first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015, ending a streak of over 300 successful launches. SpaceX has made contact with five of the satellites and is attempting to raise their orbits using onboard ion thrusters. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded the Falcon 9 pending an investigation into the incident. Elon Musk confirmed that the anomaly occurred during the upper stage restart to raise the perigee, leading to an engine RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly). The failure has imperiled the Starlink mission, which included 13 satellites with cell service capabilities. A fuel leak was detected after engine restart, as seen in the video. The cause of the failure is currently under review by SpaceX.