SpaceX is looking to resume launches of its Falcon 9 rocket soon. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, the Federal Aviation Administration said the company wanted to make a public safety decision.
That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, the agency said. If approved, SpaceX could resume launches of its Falcon 9 rocket while the investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly accident continues.
“The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process,” the FAA said in a statement.
After launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, the Falcon 9’s second stage developed a leak, preventing it from reaching orbit before releasing the 20 Starlink satellites.
That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, the agency said. If approved, SpaceX could resume launches of its Falcon 9 rocket while the investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly accident continues.
“The FAA is responsible for and committed to protecting the public during commercial space launch and reentry operations,” the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process.”
After launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, the Falcon 9’s second stage developed a leak, preventing it from reaching orbit before releasing the 20 Starlink satellites.
The FAA has two ways to return a rocket to service after a mishap. The first is for it to approve a final report of a mishap investigation led by a launch operator, which would include “the identification of any corrective actions.” Those actions must be taken and any related licensing requirements must be met.
The other option is to issue a public safety determination. This would be an option if “the accident did not involve safety-critical systems or otherwise endanger public safety,” according to the FAA.
“The FAA will review the request and, if approved, authorize a return to flight operations while the accident investigation is ongoing and provided the operator complies with all relevant licensing requirements,” the FAA wrote on its website.
Following the Starlink 9-3 anomaly, SpaceX described its preliminary findings on its website, noting that the liquid oxygen leak prevented the Merlin upper stage vacuum engine from completing its second burn.
“Although the stage survived and still deployed the satellites, it failed to successfully complete its orbit, but it did passivate itself as normally happens at the end of each mission,” SpaceX wrote on July 12. “This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135 km, which is less than half the expected perigee altitude.”
“At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is likely not enough to successfully elevate the satellites,” SpaceX added. “As such, the satellites will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disappear completely. They pose no threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”
If the FAA approves SpaceX’s decision, Falcon 9 launches can resume. The company has tentative plans to launch both the Starlink 10-4 and Starlink 10-9 missions from its two launch pads in Florida later this week. This would of course be pending FAA approval.
Still, SpaceX may have to wait until the investigation is complete before resuming launches of customer and government missions, such as the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft or the Crew-9 astronaut flight.
Following the anomaly, NASA issued a statement saying it “receives insight from SpaceX on any matters of interest regarding the Falcon 9 rocket as part of the agency’s fleet tracking.”
“Crew safety and mission assurance are top priorities for NASA. SpaceX has been forthcoming with information and is engaging NASA in the company’s ongoing anomaly investigation to understand the issue and determine the path forward,” NASA said in a June 12 statement. “NASA will provide updates on the agency’s missions, including potential impacts to planning, if any, as more information becomes available.”
Spaceflight Now reached out to NASA asking if it was required that the SpaceX-led, FAA-involved investigation into the accident be completed before NASA would resume missions using the Falcon 9 rocket. This story will be updated once a response is received.