SpaceX Asks FAA for Permission to Restart Falcon 9 Flights After Launch Mishap

SpaceX hopes to resume flying its Falcon 9 aircraft soon as the Federal Aviation Administration investigates what caused the rocket to crash last week. breakdownThis resulted in 20 Starlink satellites falling to Earth.

The company has sent a formal request to the FAA, asking when it can resume launches. according to The news was first reported by Spaceflight Now.

Specifically, SpaceX is asking the FAA to “make a public safety determination as part of the ongoing investigation into the Starlink Group 9-3 anomaly,” the FAA told PCMag.

Submitting a public safety determination means the launch company believes the failure “did not affect safety-critical systems and did not pose a threat to public safety.” according to If the decision is upheld, SpaceX will be able to resume flying the Falcon 9 while the FAA’s investigation into the accident continues, according to FAA documents.

“The FAA is reviewing the request and will make a decision based on data and safety at every stage of the process,” the agency added, which will include evaluating a variety of factors, including SpaceX’s existing flight safety systems and the nature of last week’s failure.

Another way the FAA could approve the launch is if SpaceX completes a “Final Accident Investigation Report” and identifies corrective actions. The FAA must review and approve the report before SpaceX can implement any changes.

Meanwhile, the FAA has grounded all Falcon 9 flights until an investigation into the malfunction is complete, a delay that could postpone many rocket launches, including those from SpaceX. Starlink The system is expected to expand to mobile phones in the future. This fall.

The incident began last Thursday during the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink satellites from California. The rocket launched safely, but a liquid oxygen leak prevented the rocket’s second stage from completing a full burn. This caused the rocket to deploy the 20 Starlink satellites in a lower orbit than planned, eventually resulting in the rocket losing 100% of its orbital mass. autumn It returns to Earth and burns up in the planet’s atmosphere.

The cause of the liquid oxygen leak remains unknown, but SpaceX said the malfunction was unusual given the 364 successful launches of its Falcon 9 rocket. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its efforts to resume Falcon 9 launches.