the anomaly from his last mission is to blame

Just a few hours ago, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket boasted more than 300 throws successes. However, this engineering marvel had a problem that not only robbed it of its enviable glory, but also jeopardized the proper deployment of payloads in orbit and could even lead to delays in future upcoming missions.

The rocket lifted off Thursday evening (local time) from Vandenberg Space Force Base. While the first stage successfully reentered the atmosphere and landed on a barge in the Pacific Ocean, the second stage detected an anomaly that caused the Starlink satellites to launch at a lower altitude than expected.

Ice around the engine

The second stage is powered by a single Merlin vacuum engine. While it was running for about six minutes, SpaceX’s live feed showed that an unusual amount of electricity had built up. ice aroundAs several observers on social media noted, chunks of ice broke off as the rocket entered space.

The Merlin Vacuum engine can be restarted multiple times to launch multiple payloads into orbit. During the Starlink 9-3 mission on Thursday, it was supposed to fire up again to deliver 20 satellites into orbit, but that’s where things got complicated. According to Elon Musk, the engine restart ended in “RUD” for unknown reasons.

RUD means “unscheduled rapid dismantling“, which is a fancy way of saying that there has been a major setback. The SpaceX founder and CEO added that the aerospace company’s teams would spend the night analyzing what happened. Furthermore, he explained that it was unlikely that the satellites would be able to reach their intended orbit, even with the use of their built-in engines.

Renowned astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell noted that the Starlink satellites may have been released about 138 kilometers from the Earth’s surface at their perigee, which is about 150 kilometers lower than expected. The satellites would likely be pulled in by our planet’s gravity within a few hours or days and would eventually become unusable, but there’s another problem.

In addition to the loss of satellites, which are likely covered by insurance, each crash involves the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Licensing Officer of each SpaceX launch. According to CBS, the rockets will remain on Earth until the investigation into the incident is completed.

“The return to flight is based on the FAA’s determination that any system, process, or procedure associated with the incident does not affect public safety,” the organization said in a statement, adding that it is possible that the Musk-founded company may have to request a modification to its license regarding Falcon 9 corrective actions.

In the meantime, we’ll have to wait and see how this situation plays out. It’s worth noting that Falcon 9 plays a key role in America’s access to space. If you stay on Earth too long, upcoming missions are facing delays. For example, entrepreneur Jared Isaacman’s private launch of Polaris Dawn is scheduled for July 31.

NASA is also planning a Falcon 9 mission for August 19. Four astronauts are expected to fly to the ISS aboard a Dragon capsule to replace the four-astronaut crew that has been on the orbiting lab since March. But more launches are planned, with SpaceX using the rocket model about once every three days.

Images | SpaceX

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