SpaceX asks FAA to clear grounded Falcon 9 for launch amid mishap investigation

SpaceX is looking for a quick return to flying its grounded Falcon 9 rocket while it works on an investigation for the Federal Aviation Administration about a partial failure of its workhorse hardware from a California launch last week.

Elon Musk’s company requested a public safety determination from the FAA on Monday that, if approved, would set up a return to launches, including several lined up from the Space Coast this month while the mishap investigation continues into the failed mission.

The FAA said in an emailed statement it was reviewing the request and it would be “guided by data and safety at every step of the process.”

At issue is the failure of the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink satellite launch on July 11 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first stage lifted off as planned and made a successful recovery landing. The second stage, though, failed to relight its Merlin vacuum engine to put the 20 Starlink satellites into the intended orbit.

SpaceX was able to deploy the satellites, but only at about half the planned altitude.

“We’re updating satellite software to run the ion thrusters at their equivalent of warp 9,” Musk posted on X after the launch mishap. “Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it’s worth a shot. The satellite thrusters need to raise orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down or they burn up.”

The maneuver did not work, and SpaceX said the satellites would burn up on reentry noting in a website update that they did “not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”

The FAA then grounded the rocket and required SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation.

“The FAA is responsible for and committed to protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations,” the FAA statement reads.

SpaceX posted on its update that the second stage failure was due to a liquid oxygen leak. Ice buildup was seen during the live stream of the launch with no sign of the normal ignition of the stage’s second burn.

“This event is a reminder of how technically challenging spaceflight is. To date, we have completed 364 successful Falcon launches — safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit — making the Falcon family of rockets one of the most reliable in the world,” the company posted on its site.

It promised to “perform a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine root cause, and make corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions. With a robust satellite and rocket production capability, and a high launch cadence, we’re positioned to rapidly recover and continue our pace as the world’s most active launch services provider.”

The company has three more Starlink launches lined up from either Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Center before the end of the month, and also has two human spaceflight missions on Falcon 9 rockets on tap from the Space Coast.

The first of those could come as early as July 31 when billionaire Jared Isaacman looks to return to space on the Polaris Dawn mission accompanied by three other passengers on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience for a multiday orbital flight that would feature the first commercial tethered spacewalk among other goals.

Then in mid-April, the Crew-9 mission on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance looks to launch to the International Space Station to relieve the four astronauts of Crew-8 that have been on board the ISS since March.