There were no injuries or public damage reported, according to AP.The accident’s impact on Elon Musk led company’s upcoming crew flights, including one private mission and another for Nasa, remains uncertain. A billionaire’s chartered flight had already been delayed due to poor weather just hours before the booster mishap.
The rocket had successfully taken off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and delivered all 21 Starlink internet satellites into orbit. However, trouble arose when the first-stage booster fell over and exploded into a fireball moments after attempting to land on an ocean platform. This marked the first such mishap in years and occurred during the booster’s 23rd launch, setting a recycling record for SpaceX.
The FAA stated that it needs to approve SpaceX’s findings from the accident and their proposed corrective actions before permitting any further Falcon 9 launches. “The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 8-6 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 28. The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation,” said the federal authority in a statement on their website.
Consequently, a planned Starlink launch from California was immediately canceled following the incident. “A return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster rocket is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety. In addition, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements,” FAA officials said in an emailed statement, revealed by Space.com.
SpaceX acknowledged the mishap nad said that they were investigating the matter. “After a successful ascent, Falcon 9’s first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Teams are assessing the booster’s flight data and status. This was the booster’s 23rd launch,” said SpaceX in a post on X.
SpaceX vice president Jon Edwards addresses the issue and issued a statement. “We are working ‘ASAP’ to understand what went wrong,” he said.
“Losing a booster is always sad. Each one of them has a unique history and character. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often,” Edwards posted on X.
Besides the private spaceflight waiting to launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a pair of astronauts for NASA next month. These astronauts are the same ones who were launched in June aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule but were deemed unsafe by NASA for their return trip.
This setback could also push back SpaceX’s next scheduled launch attempt for Polaris Dawn, a multi-day orbital mission led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, reported AFP. This mission plans to achieve the first spacewalks by an all-civilian crew. The Polaris Dawn launch has already been delayed twice this week—first due to a technical issue with the ground-based rocket tower, and then because of unfavorable weather conditions at the intended splashdown site.