SpaceX Falcon 9 Could Resume Flights Amid Ongoing FAA Investigation, Reports Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON – The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to resume operations as the investigation into an anomaly during a recent Starlink mission is still ongoing, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

SpaceX submitted a request to return the Falcon 9 to flight operations on Thursday, and the FAA granted approval the following day, stating that flights can proceed as long as all other licensing requirements are satisfied.

Earlier this week, the FAA had grounded the Falcon 9 following a landing failure during a routine Starlink mission. This marked SpaceX’s second grounding of the Falcon 9 in 2023.

On Wednesday, the Falcon 9 successfully launched a group of Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida. However, during the landing attempt on a maritime barge, the rocket’s first stage booster toppled into the ocean after a hard landing.

Groundings of the Falcon 9, essential for launching satellites and crew into space, are infrequent. The last grounding occurred in July, also a historic first since 2016, which was prompted by a failure in the second stage that led to the loss of several Starlink satellites.

After the July incident, Falcon 9 returned to service just 15 days later, with an expedited approval from the FAA. The Falcon 9 is also scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts in late September via a Crew Dragon spacecraft to return them to Earth after they were stranded on the International Space Station following issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

SpaceX has developed a robust fleet of reusable Falcon boosters since the initial launch in 2010, enabling the company to surpass its competitors in launch frequency.

Another Starlink mission was planned to launch shortly after Wednesday’s event from SpaceX’s southern California site, but it was canceled in light of the recent landing failure.