FAA OKs Falcon 9 Return to Flight
The FAA today allowed SpaceX to resume launches of the Falcon 9 rocket while investigation continues into the failed landing of a first stage earlier this week.
In a statement this evening, the FAA said SpaceX could resume launches while “the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.”
The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met. SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30. — FAA
The FAA regulates commercial space launches and reentries. Falcon 9 launches were suspended on August 28 after a first stage did not successfully land on an autonomous drone ship at sea.
SpaceX almost always reuses the first stages of its Falcon 9 rockets. After separating from the second stage, they change direction and come back to Earth, landing either on a drone ship or back on land. In some cases whatever is being launched requires all the fuel and the first stages are not recovered, but the vast majority of the time they are. Of the 365 Falcon 9 launches so far, there were 322 successful landings.
On August 28, booster B1062 made a hard landing on the deck of the drone ship Shortfall of Gravitas and tipped over into the ocean amidst a firey display. It was the booster’s 23rd flight. The drone ship arrived back in port today with remnants of the booster. Space photographer John Kraus captured these images and posted them on X.
Not much left of Falcon 9 B1062. Important to remember that with 23 flights under its belt, it completed 22 more flights than any other orbital-class rocket booster. Here’s to celebrating its successful missions and to many more reuse records broken with future boosters. pic.twitter.com/3S3O1unPXM
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) August 30, 2024
After the landing “anomaly,” the FAA suspended Falcon 9 launches pending an investigation. Today they allowed SpaceX to resume launches while that’s underway. The company immediately posted they plan two launches overnight from their launch pads in California and Florida.
Targeting back-to-back Falcon 9 launches tonight from California and Florida → https://t.co/SpsRVRsvz1
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2024
Also awaiting launch from Florida is the Polaris Dawn mission with four private astronauts. Their launch is weather dependent not only for launch, but return to Earth five days later and no date has been set yet.
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