(Washington) Missiles Falcon 9 SpaceX's most widely used spacecraft has been grounded until further notice after a rare accident, US authorities said Wednesday, with two crews set to board soon.
The setback threatens to delay the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission, which aims to conduct the first private spacewalk in history. The launch has been postponed twice in recent days, first due to a technical problem and then weather. A new date is now pending.
Wednesday before dawn missile Falcon 9 The company's Starlink satellites — a satellite-based internet service — launched without incident from Florida.
After launching its payload, the first stage of the rocket descended as usual to land on a barge at sea. This process, a great innovation for SpaceX, allows the company to reuse this part of the vehicle and thus reduce costs.
But video of the maneuver showed the first stage catching fire as it landed on the barge, then flipping onto its side. It had “flipped over,” billionaire Elon Musk's company confirmed on X, explaining that it was 23.H Machine theft.
The FAA later announced that it was calling for an “investigation” into the incident.
“Resumption of missile flights Falcon 9 The agency said the order is contingent on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety.
According to the specialized press, the last time was the first stage of the missile. Falcon 9 The failed landing occurred more than three years ago, and the company has since successfully attempted the maneuver more than 260 times in a row.
In July, the rocket was grounded for about two weeks after a different incident: a leak in the rocket's second stage.
The FAA also conducted an investigation before allowing flights to resume.
And at the end of September, a missile Falcon 9 Two astronauts must take off to take them to the International Space Station (ISS).
This mission, called Crew-9, should ensure regular rotation of the ISS crew, with one peculiarity: it should also return two more astronauts to Earth in February, including the initial spacecraft, designed by Boeing, which ultimately proved not safe enough for the return trip.
