A recent SpaceX rocket launch ended in failure, marking the first such incident in nearly a decade. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 20 Starlink satellites, experienced a malfunction in its upper stage engine shortly after liftoff from California. The cause of the failure was attributed to a liquid oxygen leak, according to SpaceX.
Efforts were made by flight controllers to salvage the situation by contacting half of the satellites and attempting to boost them to a higher orbit using onboard ion thrusters. However, due to the satellites being in an orbit only 84 miles above Earth, significantly lower than intended, it is unlikely that the available thrust will be sufficient to raise them successfully. Consequently, the satellites are expected to reenter the atmosphere and burn up, although the exact timing of this event remains uncertain.
Currently, over 6,000 Starlink satellites are in orbit, providing internet services to customers in remote areas worldwide. The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated that the issue be resolved before Falcon rockets can resume flights.
While the impact of this incident on SpaceX's upcoming crew flights is yet to be determined, a private spaceflight scheduled for July 31 and an astronaut mission to the International Space Station in mid-August are on the company's agenda. SpaceX's founder, Elon Musk, expressed confidence in the Falcon 9 rocket's overall reliability, citing its impressive track record and emergency escape system.
Notably, the last launch failure for SpaceX occurred in 2015 during a space station cargo mission, with another incident in 2016 involving a rocket explosion during ground testing. Musk emphasized that the high frequency of SpaceX's launches will aid in identifying and rectifying any issues that may arise in the future.
