The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that SpaceX investigate the malfunction of the second stage of its Falcon 9 rocket following a NASA astronaut mission on Saturday. This marks the third time in three months that the Falcon 9 has been grounded. After successfully launching two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), the rocket’s second stage failed to re-ignite its engine for the deorbit burn, a routine procedure that directs the booster safely into the ocean. While the astronaut crew docked safely at the ISS as planned, the booster landed outside the designated safety zone in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX acknowledged the issue, stated they would pause launches until the root cause is understood, and continued their investigation under FAA oversight. The FAA confirmed there were no injuries or property damage resulting from the incident.
This is the third grounding for Falcon 9 recently; the rocket was previously grounded due to a second-stage malfunction in July and a first-stage landing failure in August. Despite the recent issues, SpaceX has been prolific in its launches, averaging two to three per week in 2024, far surpassing its industry rivals. Falcon 9’s first stage is reusable, but its second stage is not.
The grounding comes during ongoing tensions between SpaceX and the FAA over launch licensing regulations and fines imposed on SpaceX for alleged violations in 2023. While the Falcon 9 grounding does not impact SpaceX’s next-generation Starship system, SpaceX has publicly criticized FAA for delays in approving its fifth flight test license for Starship, which involves ambitious new testing goals.
Published By: Sibu Kumar Tripathi
Published On: Oct 1, 2024
Original Story https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/us-government-grounds-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-after-second-stage-malfunction-2609204-2024-10-01
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