The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended the Falcon 9 launch after a SpaceX rocket exploded in space, damaging the batch of Starlink satellites it was carrying into orbit. This marks the first Falcon 9 launch failure for SpaceX in over seven years.
About an hour after Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the evening of July 11, the second stage engine of the Falcon 9 rocket was unable to reignite in space, launching 20 Starlink satellites into a much lower orbit than planned. This caused them to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
On July 12, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, wrote on social media platform X about the attempt to reignite the engine in space, stating that it “led to a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) for reasons that are currently unclear.”
RUD is an acronym for Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly, a slang term in the aerospace industry used to describe a sudden explosion or destruction of a rocket or spacecraft. This term is often used humorously to downplay the severity of an incident. In his post about the Falcon 9 incident, Elon Musk used the term RUD to describe the failure of the second stage engine of the rocket.
RUD is a rare but serious incident for any aerospace company. It can lead to property damage, casualties, and delays in space programs.
The Falcon 9 will be grounded until SpaceX investigates the cause of the incident, repairs the rocket, and obtains FAA approval, the agency stated in a press release. This process may take several weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the incident and SpaceX’s recovery plan.
The failed Falcon 9 mission, the world’s most actively flown rocket, ended a streak of over 350 consecutive successful missions, during which SpaceX maintained its dominance in the satellite launch industry. Many countries and aerospace companies rely on SpaceX, a private company valued at about $200 billion, to send their satellites and astronauts into space.
Elon Musk indicated that SpaceX is updating the software of the Starlink satellites to force the rocket’s engines to operate harder than normal to avoid falling back into Earth’s atmosphere and burning up.
The 52-year-old billionaire noted: “Unlike in Star Trek, this may not work, but it’s worth a try.“
On the evening of July 12, SpaceX wrote on X that the satellites do not pose a threat to the public. The company did not estimate when they would fall back to Earth, but they would appear as streaks of light in the sky.
“Those are meteors,” Elon Musk commented in SpaceX’s post.
Earlier that day, SpaceX stated that the satellites’ altitude was too low, causing Earth’s gravity to pull them down 5 km closer to the atmosphere. The company confirmed that they would “re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and completely disappear.”
Image of Falcon 9 launching satellites into orbit after taking off from Vandenberg Space Force Base – (Photo: Reuters).
On July 12, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) stated that they are monitoring all Falcon 9 missions from SpaceX.
A NASA spokesperson said: “SpaceX has provided information and involved NASA in the ongoing anomaly investigation to understand the issue and the way forward.”
SpaceX indicated that the incident on the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket occurred after engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak, the propellant that generates thrust.
The incident happened during the 354th Falcon 9 mission. This was the first Falcon 9 launch failure since 2016, when a rocket exploded on the launch pad in Florida, destroying a customer’s cargo (an Israeli communications satellite).
Tom Mueller, former Vice President of Propulsion at SpaceX, who designed the Falcon 9 engine, shared with Elon Musk on X: “We knew this incredible streak of success had to end at some point. The team will address the issue and restart the cycle.”
This failure could hinder SpaceX’s increasing launch cadence of the Falcon 9. The 96 rocket launches in 2023 is the highest to date and exceeds the total annual launches of any country. In comparison, China (the U.S.’s space rival) conducted 67 space missions in 2023 using various rockets.
Will Whitehorn, Chairman of the venture capital firm Seraphim Space Investment Trust, commented: “Falcon 9 very rarely fails. Its success rate is significantly higher than most other rocket types developed.”
Although the Falcon 9 flight on July 11 was an internal mission, the grounding of this rocket could potentially impact upcoming missions for SpaceX customers.
The Falcon 9 is currently the only U.S. rocket capable of transporting NASA crews to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA plans to launch its next astronaut mission in August, using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
NASA is working to resolve unrelated issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which is in the testing phase to prove it can become the second vehicle to send NASA astronauts into orbit alongside Crew Dragon.
Previously, SpaceX planned to conduct the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon mission as early as July 31, sending four private astronauts into orbit for a few days to conduct the first commercial spacewalk using the company’s newly designed spacesuits.
Jared Isaacman, head of the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon program and a crew member, stated he expects SpaceX to resolve the issue quickly.
“With the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon mission, we will fly whenever SpaceX is ready and have complete confidence in the rocket, spacecraft, and operations,” Jared Isaacman wrote on X.
Elon Musk responded: “We will investigate the issue and look for any potential underlying failures.”
Since 2018, SpaceX has launched about 7,000 Starlink satellites with various designs into space to support its global broadband internet network. Industry analysts estimate that the 20 Starlink satellites in the failed Falcon 9 launch on July 11 had a total value of at least $10 million.
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Starlink is the satellite constellation being built by SpaceX to provide satellite internet service worldwide. This constellation consists of thousands of small satellites placed into low Earth orbit. The goals of Starlink:
How Starlink works: Starlink satellites are launched into low Earth orbit using Falcon 9 rockets. Once in position, the satellites transmit internet signals down to ground receivers installed at users’ homes or businesses. Users connect to the internet through a Starlink router. |
This is the latest bad news for SpaceX after being accused of destroying bird habitats. The New York Times reported that SpaceX’s activities have caused explosions, fires, leaks, and other issues at least 19 times since 2019. A rocket launch in 2023 ended with an explosion that scorched 3.5 acres (approximately 14,163 square meters) of a nearby state park.
The recent incident occurred in June with the launch of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, Starship, into space and back. Although considered a success, the flight left egg yolk-colored streaks on the ground near the Starship launch site.
The Starbase complex borders public lands such as Boca Chica State Park and is near the migratory routes of several bird species, including the Piping Plover, which is listed as “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The nonprofit group Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program reported observing nine bird nests in the area before the Starship launch in June, but none remained intact after the launch.
“All nine nests monitored after the rocket launch on June 6 had either lost eggs, had damaged eggs, or both. This damage does not align with any predatory interactions based on our experience. Additionally, the speed/force from the debris and wet sand/mud were evident in both observational camera footage and on the camera body, one of which had its lens shattered by a concrete pebble,” according to the 2024 report from the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.
The Starship rocket launch scattered debris across surrounding areas and caused a small fire. Metal sheets and insulation materials were also found among the wreckage.
SpaceX’s environmental activities have sparked conflicts with U.S. government agencies like the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, the FAA defended SpaceX in a statement to The New York Times.
“That debris hitting state parks or national lands is not what we regulate, but the important thing is that no one was harmed. We certainly do not want people to feel like they are being pushed out. However, that is indeed an important activity that SpaceX is undertaking. It is truly critical for our civilian space program,” an FAA official stated.
Gary Henry, a former advisor to SpaceX on Pentagon rocket launch programs, shared with The New York Times that SpaceX is aware of the criticisms surrounding their environmental practices and plans to address them.
He noted that SpaceX has hired a consultant to monitor bird migration patterns. The company’s researchers “did not find evidence” of changes in local bird populations. However, environmental officials still have various grievances against SpaceX.
The New York Times reported that Elon Musk has exploited weaknesses and conflicts among different agencies to circumvent or minimize regulations that could be detrimental to SpaceX. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service (the agencies overseeing natural resources and other assets) have repeatedly failed to uphold their views and enforce regulations against larger entities like the Federal Aviation Administration.
Furthermore, The New York Times revealed that Elon Musk has expanded SpaceX’s operations beyond what he initially promised officials. Mark Spier, a former National Park Service official, accused Elon Musk of “pulling a fast one” on the officials.
“They kept saying, ‘No, we won’t do that,’ and then they would turn around and say, ‘Yes, we will.’ We were duped,” Mark Spier stated.
