SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket grounded yet again: What happened?

This is the second time since July that the FAA has grounded Falcon 9 due to technical anomalies

Falcon 9 at Vandenberg air force base in California in 2016. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 — one of the world’s most active rockets — after it failed to land back on Earth during a routine Starlink mission.

This is the second time since July that the FAA has grounded Falcon 9 due to technical anomalies. On July 11, the rocket stranded 20 Starlink internet satellites in a low, non-survivable orbit, following the failure of its upper-stage engine. Falcon 9 returned to flight 15 days later, after the FAA granted SpaceX’s request for an expedited return to flight.

The FAA is currently investigating the latest issues with Falcon 9. On Friday (August 30), it said that it might allow the rocket to return to flight while the investigation remains open.

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What is Falcon 9?

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable rocket designed and manufactured by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. It can transport crew and payloads to low Earth orbit (an altitude of 2000 km or less) and beyond.

The rocket has two stages. The first stage or booster stage comprises nine Merlin engines (a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX), and aluminium-lithium alloy tanks containing liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellant. The second stage consists of a single Merlin engine.

The first stage, which is reusable, is capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage.

Also in Explained | What is SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which will bring back Sunita Williams from space?

What happened last week?

On August 28, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida.

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“The rocket’s reusable first stage booster returned to Earth and attempted to land on a sea-faring barge as usual, but toppled into the ocean after a fiery touchdown, a SpaceX live stream showed,” according to a report by Reuters. The exact reason for the issue is yet to be confirmed.

Falcon 9 has been on more than 350 missions. The July incident marked the rocket’s first failure since 2015 when the rocket exploded on a launch site in Florida. Falcon 9 is considered one of the most successful and reliable rockets ever made.

What happens now?

If the FAA does not allow Falcon 9 to return to flight soon enough, it may impede the rocket’s launch pace. In 2023 alone, the rocket made 96 launches, and exceeded the annual launch total in any country, according to a report by Reuters. “By comparison, China, a space rival to the United States, launched 67 missions to space in 2023 using various rockets.”

Falcon 9 is also due to launch two NASA astronauts in September on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, in February next year, will bring home the two astronauts — Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore — who have been stuck on the International Space Station after riding Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft.

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