SpaceX cleared to launch Falcon 9 rocket after rare failure

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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket – the world’s most prolific launch vehicle – is ready to return to flight after suffering a mission-ending failure during a routine trip earlier this month.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches and evaluates accidents, said Thursday it determined there were “no public safety issues” involved when the Falcon 9 failed in orbit on July 11, clearing the way for a return. rocket speed. To fly.

“This public safety determination means that the Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the general investigation remains open, as long as all other permit requirements are met,” according to the FAA.

On its website, SpaceX has already revealed that it will put the Falcon 9 back to work on Saturday, launching a batch of Starlink internet satellites.

If successful, the launch could put SpaceX back on track to return to its routine but crucial work of launching astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s tenth trip – carried out on behalf of NASA – is scheduled to take off in August. NASA plans to share updates on the mission today.

SpaceX also has plans to launch a history-making private astronaut mission called Polaris Dawn, which will send billionaire and philanthropist Jared Isaacman and three crewmates into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 to conduct the first private citizen spacewalk. . That mission was scheduled to take off on July 31.

What happened to Falcão 9

The Falcon 9, which is the smallest vehicle in SpaceX’s rocket fleet, is the linchpin of the US rocket industry. In 2024, it carried out more than 60 missions. No other rocket comes close to being as active.

A Falcon 9 launched a group of Starlink satellites out of California on July 11, shortly before the accident occurred.

The first stage of the mission appeared to proceed smoothly, with the Falcon 9 using its first stage booster – the lower part of the rocket with nine engines that provide the initial burst of power at liftoff – to propel itself toward space.

But the rocket’s second stage, which was designed to fire after the first stage crashes and carry the satellites to their final destination in orbit, abruptly failed.

SpaceX later revealed that there was an oxygen leak in that second stage. (Liquid oxygen or LOX is commonly used as an oxidizer or propellant for rockets.) This led to what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at one point described as a “RUD” — or “unscheduled rapid disassembly,” a phrase that SpaceX typically uses it to refer to an explosion.

Despite the accident, the satellites were deployed safely – but they were placed in a much lower orbit than intended, meaning they would likely be dragged out of space by Earth’s gravity very quickly.

The FAA, which routinely oversees investigations after such accidents, told CNN in an email that it found that “all debris from the anomaly reentered and there continue to be no reports of public injuries or damage to public property.”

SpaceX asked the FAA on July 15 to assess the threat to public safety, allowing the company to return to flight even as the broader investigation — which aims to identify the “root cause” of the accident and identify how to fix the problem — continues. – It is not complete.

On a publish on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, SpaceX said Thursday that it has “submitted our report to the FAA regarding the Falcon 9 launch anomaly, including the probable cause and associated corrective actions.”

The company cited the rocket’s extensive flight history as one of the reasons the company is “capable of gathering unprecedented levels of flight data and is prepared to quickly return to flight.”

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