SpaceX Falcon 9 Rescue Mission Grounded Due To Setback – Starliner Astronauts Need to Wait?

The Falcon 9 Rescue Mission has suffered another setback. SpaceX has grounded its Falcon 9 rockets following an issue that occurred during a mission to rescue two astronauts currently stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

On Saturday, a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida, successfully delivering a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. The mission was critical as stuck NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been left on the station after a malfunction forced their Boeing Starliner craft to return to Earth without them earlier this month.

Off-nominal deorbit burn

Although the Crew Dragon capsule reached its destination as planned, SpaceX revealed that the Falcon 9’s second stage encountered a problem during its return to Earth.

They posted the following on X after the launch: 

Crew Dragon successfully docks with ISS

Despite the deorbit issue, the Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS. It is scheduled to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth in February 2025.

This marked SpaceX’s 90th successful launch this year, as the company closes in on its record of 96 orbital launches set in 2023.

Future launches are delayed until further investigation

SpaceX had planned another Falcon 9 launch for Sunday, which was intended to deploy additional Starlink satellites. However, that mission has now been delayed until the root cause of the deorbit issue can be identified and resolved.

SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket has also been grounded as it awaits regulatory clearance. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has postponed Starship’s latest flight until late November, as SpaceX made changes to the mission profile, prompting a more detailed review by the FAA.

FAA’s in-depth review of Starship flight

A spokesperson for the FAA explained: “SpaceX’s current licence authorising the Starship Flight 4 launch also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile. SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch which triggered a more in-depth review.”

The spokesperson continued, “In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed. This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies. SpaceX must meet all safety, environmental, and other licencing requirements prior to FAA launch authorisation.”

Penalties for safety violations

The FAA has also fined SpaceX $633,009 (£480,000) for alleged safety violations relating to two launches conducted last year. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has openly criticised the FAA, accusing the agency of “regulatory overreach.” Musk has indicated that he plans to file a lawsuit against the regulator.

This delay marks another challenge for SpaceX as they work towards resolving these issues and resuming their ambitious launch schedule.