SpaceX¡¯s Falcon 9 rocket grounded by FAA after fire incident, here is what happened
In a setback to Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US has grounded its Falcon 9 rockets following a launch accident. The Falcon 9 rocket, which launched twenty-one Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, toppled over while landing, leading to a fire incident.
23rd mission of SpaceX Falcon 9??
According to reports, this was the Falcon 9 B1062's 23rd mission, but on Wednesday, a booster rocket toppled over in flames while landing. The first-stage booster fell over in a fireball moments after landing on an ocean platform, marking the first such accident in years. Before Wednesday, SpaceX had achieved 267 successful Falcon booster landings in a row.
While no injuries to the public have been reported, SpaceX said the company is working ¡°ASAP¡± to understand what went wrong.
¡°Losing a booster is always sad. Each one of them has a unique history and character. Thankfully this doesn¡¯t happen often,¡± SpaceX Vice President Edwards posted on X.
What is next for SpaceX
According to the FAA, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets have been grounded following the accident, including a previously scheduled launch from California with more Starlinks. The FAA said that SpaceX must obtain approval for its accident findings and corrective action before it is allowed to resume Falcon 9 launches.
Second setback for SpaceX this week
This is the second setback the Musk-owned space exploration company has suffered this week. Earlier, Polaris Dawn, touted as the world's first private spacewalk, was delayed, first due to a helium leak and later due to adverse weather conditions.
Also read:?Helium leak hits SpaceX, first commercial spacewalk mission, Polaris Dawn, postponed
Polaris Dawn launch delayed? ?
Polaris Dawn, which would have carried Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, commander Jared Isaacman, and Sarah Gillis for the first privately managed spacewalk, was scheduled for a Tuesday morning launch but was scrubbed due to a ground-side helium leak.
Though SpaceX said the mission was postponed by one day, it could not take off on Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule due to adverse weather conditions. The next likely window for the launch is on August 30.
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