Elon Musk’s SpaceX operation has been given the go ahead to return its Falcon 9 rocket to space after it was grounded following a mid-flight failure earlier this month.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been cleared to return to space after it was grounded following a mid-flight failure earlier this month.
Elon Musk’s company launched an investigation to find out what went wrong after the payload of 20 of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites was deployed too early and descended back down towards Earth before burning up in the atmosphere.
Now the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) has confirmed the anomaly did not cause any public safety issues and the rocket can return to service. A statement from SpaceX has also revealed the cause of the problem has been pinpointed and they are ready for another launch as early as Saturday (27.07.24).
It read: “SpaceX submitted its mishap report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding Falcon 9’s launch anomaly on July 11, 2024. SpaceX’s investigation team, with oversight from the FAA, was able to identify the most probable cause of the mishap and associated corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions.”
SpaceX stated the problem was put down to a liquid oxygen leak which damaged engine components and the issue has now been rectified. The company also added the falling satellites posed no danger because they have been designed to burn up on reentry.
The statement added: “By design, Starlink satellites fully demise upon reentry, posing no threat to public safety. To-date, no debris has been reported after the successful deorbit of Starlink satellites …
“Safety and reliability are at the core of SpaceX’s operations … Our missions are of critical importance – safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads, and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit – and they rely on the Falcon family of rockets being one of the most reliable in the world. We thank the FAA and our customers for their ongoing work and support.”
SpaceX rocket cleared to return to space
