SpaceX asks FAA to return Falcon 9 rocket to launching after mishap
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded, Florida’s Space Coast will be oddly quiet, going more than a week without a rocket launch for the first time since last year.
Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center are part of everyday life for Space Coast residents as SpaceX launches sometimes twice a week – until last week when a Falcon 9 suffered a rare failure after launching from California.
With 364 successful Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX hasn’t suffered a mission failure since 2015, when a space station cargo resupply mission exploded after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center.
On July 11, SpaceX attempted to launch and deploy 20 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch and booster landing were successful, but the rocket’s second stage could not complete its second engine burn required to place it into orbit to deploy the spacecraft.
"SpaceX will perform a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine root cause, and make corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions. With a robust satellite and rocket production capability, and a high launch cadence, we’re positioned to rapidly recover and continue our pace as the world’s most active launch services provider," the company said in a statement.
Mishap investigations can take several months or longer. After the June 2015 failure, which destroyed $118 million of NASA cargo, the company resumed launching later that year but did not launch another NASA payload until January 2016.
The company, founded by Elon Musk, was set to launch four astronauts in August as part of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. The recent mishap could delay both the Crew-9 mission and the private Polaris Dawn astronaut mission, which was also planned for this summer.
SpaceX is seeking to begin relaunching the Falcon 9 rocket as soon as possible.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a launch operator can request the FAA "make a public safety determination based on information that the mishap did not involve safety-critical systems or otherwise jeopardize public safety."
SpaceX submitted this request late last week, and now the FAA is reviewing it to determine whether the Falcon 9 can return to flight.
"The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process," the agency said in a statement.
If the FAA agrees there is no public safety issue involved in the mishap, SpaceX could resume launching the Falcon 9 with an open investigation.
The FAA did not provide a timeline for how long this decision would take.