A SpaceX rocket has failed for the first time in nearly a decade, leaving the company's internet satellites doomed to destruction.
A SpaceX rocket has failed for the first time in nearly a decade, leaving the company's internet satellites in such a low orbit that they are doomed to fall into the atmosphere and burn up.
A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from California on Thursday evening carrying 20 Starlink satellites. A few minutes into the flight, the upper stage engine failed. SpaceX blamed the leak on a liquid oxygen leak on Friday.
According to the company, flight controllers were able to establish contact with half of the satellites and attempted to lift them into a higher orbit using onboard ion thrusters. But with its minimum orbit just 135 kilometers above Earth — less than half of what was intended — “it is unlikely that our maximum available orbit will be sufficient to successfully lift the satellites,” the company said via X.
SpaceX said the satellites would re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. No date was given for the descent. More than 6,000 Starlinks are currently in orbit, providing internet services to customers in some of the world’s most remote locations.
The FAA said the problem must be fixed before Falcon rockets can fly again.
It was not known whether the incident would affect future SpaceX crew flights. A millionaire spaceflight is scheduled for July 31 from Florida, with plans for the first private spacewalk, followed in mid-August by a NASA astronaut's flight to the International Space Station.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has an “incredible track record” and an emergency ejection system, Jared Isaacman, the entrepreneur who will pilot the private flight, said Friday.
The last launch failure occurred in 2015, during a cargo flight to the space station. The following year, another rocket exploded during ground tests.
“Coffee trailblazer. Social media ninja. Unapologetic web guru. Friendly music fan. Alcohol fanatic.”