BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring an investigation after the failure of a Falcon 9 upper stage during a Starlink mission Thursday that launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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According to SpaceX, the rocket’s Merlin vacuum engine could not complete its second burn, leaving a batch of Starlink satellites in the wrong orbit.
Those satellites are now expected to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere and burn up with no threat to the public.
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“So, this is a pretty serious issue, it’s got to be investigated,” Dr. Ken Kremer with Space UpClose said. “The FAA has started an investigation that absolutely should be done. Because why? Because it can impact public safety. It can also impact human space flight. We have two human spaceflight missions coming up in the next month. Those were planned at any rate, Polaris Dawn, July, 31 NET, and then Crew-9 around August, 19 or so, mid-August.”
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The FAA said the agency will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions.
SpaceX has already delayed a Starlink mission that was supposed to launch from the Space Coast this weekend.
It will now launch next week at the earliest.
Read NASA’s statement below:
Although the SpaceX Starlink launch was a fully commercial mission, NASA receives insight from SpaceX on all items of interest about the Falcon 9 rocket as part of the agency’s standard fleet following activities.
Crew safety and mission assurance are top priorities for NASA.
SpaceX has been forthcoming with information and is including NASA in the company’s ongoing anomaly investigation to understand the issue and path forward.
NASA will provide updates on agency missions, including potential schedule impacts, if any, as more information becomes available.
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