SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Grounded After Booster Bursts Into Flames On Landing

SpaceX suffered a rare setback, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding Falcon 9 after its first-stage booster burst into flames upon landing....
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Grounded After Booster Bursts Into Flames On Landing
Written by Matt Milano
  • SpaceX suffered a rare setback, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding Falcon 9 after its first-stage booster burst into flames upon landing.

    SpaceX has nearly perfected reusable booster rockets—cutting the cost of space flights significantly—with its last major landing mishap more than three years ago, in early 2021. On its most recent flight, however, something went wrong during the landing of first stage booster B1062. The booster burst into flames when it landed hard on the recovery drone ship.

    The FAA’s statement revealed it is requiring an investigation before flights resume.

    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.

    In a post on X, VP of Falcon Launch Vehicles Jon Edwards said the company was working hard to find the cause of the problem and address it, but emphasized that the flight’s primary mission was never in danger.

    While this is certainly a setback for SpaceX, the company is still in an infinitely better position than rival Boeing. Boeing is currently dealing with the embarrassment of relying on SpaceX to retrieve the astronauts it sent into space weeks ago, for what was supposed to be an eight-day trip, after Boeing’s Starliner was deemed unfit for the task.

    Given that SpaceX’s Falcon booster failed after 23 flights—22 without incident—it’s a safe bet the company will be able to find and address the problem promptly.

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