SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, known for its reliability, recently experienced a rare mishap during a routine launch of Starlink satellites. The rocket’s second stage encountered a catastrophic error when its engine failed to reignite for the second time, resulting in a rapid unscheduled disassembly or explosion. Although the 20 satellites were deployed, they were placed in the wrong orbit, and there are concerns about their ability to escape Earth’s atmosphere.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, shared on his platform X that the exact cause of the failure is unknown, but the team is diligently reviewing data to determine the root cause. He mentioned that the perigee, the point in an orbit closest to Earth, may be too low for the satellites to raise their orbit successfully. However, further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
The incident occurred during the Starlink 9-3 mission at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. Shortly after lift-off, the livestream showed an unusual amount of ice build-up on the engine, with large clumps falling away into the exhaust plume. This suggests a potential leak of the liquid oxygen, one of the engine’s propellants along with kerosene. The exact mechanism behind the failure is still under investigation.
Despite the setback, SpaceX has managed an impressive streak of 335 flawless launches with its Falcon family of rockets, including the powerful Falcon Heavy. In 2023 alone, they achieved 96 successful launches, followed by 69 successful launches in 2024. The last major error occurred in 2016 during pre-launch testing when the rocket exploded on the pad. The previous in-flight error happened in 2015 when the Falcon 9’s upper stage disintegrated shortly after lift-off.
SpaceX has been in contact with five out of the 20 satellites deployed and is attempting to raise their orbits using onboard ion thrusters. Engineers are updating the satellite’s software to optimize the thrusters’ performance in an effort to overcome the challenges they face. Elon Musk humorously mentioned that the attempt may not be like a Star Trek episode where success is guaranteed, but it’s worth trying nonetheless.
This anomaly has raised concerns about two critical upcoming launches. The first is the Polaris Dawn private spaceflight mission funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, scheduled for the end of the month. The second is an astronaut transportation mission for NASA set for mid-August. The investigation into the failure will likely impact the timeline and planning for these missions.
In an update, SpaceX confirmed that the icy build-up observed during the webcast was due to a liquid oxygen leak on the second stage. As a result, the 20 Starlink satellites deployed at a low orbit of 135 kilometers above Earth will reenter the atmosphere and burn up.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aware of the incident and has initiated an investigation. While no injuries or public property damage have been reported, this incident underscores the importance of thorough investigations to ensure safety and prevent future failures. SpaceX and the FAA will collaborate to determine the cause of the failure and implement any necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
