Despite its reputation as the most reliable launch vehicle in history, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is not immune to the occasional misfire. As darkness fell on Thursday evening, disaster struck when the rocket’s secondary stage malfunctioned catastrophically during a seemingly routine deployment of a new wave of Starlink internet satellites into orbit.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, revealed that the company had experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” (RUD) due to the failure of the Merlin Vacuum engine on the second stage to reignite for the second and final time, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. While the initial deployment of 20 Starlink satellites was successful, a crucial error occurred as they were released into an incorrect orbit, casting doubt on whether the onboard propulsion system can efficiently maneuver the satellites away from the gravitational pull of the Earth’s atmosphere in time.
“Following the higher stage’s restart to elevate perigee, an unexpected engine failure occurred due to reasons currently under investigation,” he declared. “Tonight, staff will review information to identify and understand the underlying cause.” Despite the successful deployment of Starlink satellites, a potential limitation arose from their relatively low perigee, which may hinder their ability to boost into higher orbits. You’ll have more insight within a few hours.
The Starlink 9-3 mission launched successfully from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base at 7:35 p.m. local time. PST. Shortly after liftoff, the live stream revealed a moderate accumulation of ice on the rocket’s thrust chamber, with substantial chunks detaching and falling into the exhaust plume. The potential issue could be a leak in the liquid oxygen, which combined with kerosene forms the propulsion fuel for the rocket’s engine. The exact cause of the failure remains elusive.
That it has established communication with five of the twenty satellites and is instructing them to adjust their trajectories by engaging their onboard ion propulsion systems. Engineers are upgrading the satellite TV’s software to enable the thrusters to operate at Warp 9 capacity, a benchmark equivalent. “Not like a Star Trek episode, but still worth taking the chance.”
SpaceX’s remarkable run of 335 consecutive successful launches has been a testament to the company’s technological prowess and commitment to excellence, with its reliable Falcon family of rockets – including the mighty Falcon Heavy – consistently delivering on their promise. Those features boast a remarkable 96 profitable launches in 2023, alongside an equally impressive 69 profitable launches in 2024. The rocket experienced its most significant malfunction in 2016, when it suffered a catastrophic failure on the launchpad during pre-flight testing. The catastrophic in-flight failure that brought the Falcon 9’s maiden voyage to an abrupt halt occurred nearly a decade ago, on January 6, 2015, when its second-stage engine suddenly failed and disintegrated just two minutes into liftoff.
An FAA official acknowledged to TechCrunch that an irregularity took place during the recent SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 mission, which lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 11. The incident involved a malfunction of the upper-stage rocket while it was in the designated airspace. To date, no incidents of public nature resulting in injury or damage to public property have occurred. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a directive to conduct a thorough investigation.
The potential impact of this anomaly could be significant, potentially affecting not one but two crucial crewed launches scheduled for the coming weeks: privately-funded Polaris Daybreak, set to launch at the end of the month under Jared Isaacman’s patronage, and a vital NASA astronaut transportation mission in mid-August.
