SpaceX Returns to Launch Status with Successful Mission 

SpaceX Returns to Launch Status with Successful Mission 

A long exposure streak image from last night successful SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight rocket launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher
A long exposure streak image from last night successful SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight rocket launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL – After a brief grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and deployed its Starlink Group 10-9 satellites early in the morning on July 28, 2024. This launch marked the company’s return to flight status following an anomaly during a mission earlier in the month. 

Big Changes Coming To Crew Dragon Splashdowns

Big Changes Coming To Crew Dragon Splashdowns

Workers secure  Space X Crew Dragon capsule after Crew 7 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico last March. Image: NASA
Workers secure Space X Crew Dragon capsule after Crew 7 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico last March. Image: NASA

NASA’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will be making its final splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean next year . The upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch no earlier than August 18, 2024, could be the last to conclude with a landing off the U.S. East Coast.

SpaceX Starlink 10-9 Set For Early Saturday Liftoff

SpaceX Starlink 10-9 Set For Early Saturday Liftoff

A Falcon 9 launching from LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
A Falcon 9 launching from LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying twenty-three Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad LC-39A early Saturday morning. The launch window for the Falcon 9’s “return to flight” opens at 12:21 AM EDT on July 27 and extends until 04:21 AM the same day. If needed, the company has a backup launch window at the same time, twenty-four hours later, on July 28.

Falcon 9 Cleared To Return To Flight

Falcon 9 Cleared To Return To Flight

Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX has been cleared to resume launching Falcon 9 by the FAA. Almost immediately afterward, the company announced a launch of the venerable rocket from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center early Sunday morning.The company stated that the Starlink 9-3 mishap in a statement on their website “The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line,” SpaceX said.

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

Starliner docked to the International Space Station
photo: NASA
Starliner docked to the International Space Station
photo: NASA
No Return Date Set, Readiness Review May Come Late Next Week

NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Boeing Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.

“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.

The flame plume of a Falcon 9 Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX Performs Falcon 9 Static Fire Last Night

Closeup of Falcon 9’s Merlin engines as the rocket lifts off. The static fire conducted last night was testing this part of the spacecraft.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX conducted a static-firing of the nine Merlin engines of a Falcon 9 booster first stage at SLC-40 last night as the company prepares to return to flight after a very rare in-flight failure on July 11.

Timeline of Recovery: When Will SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Fly Again? 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars skyward moments after liftoff from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Image by Richard P Gallagher

On July 11, 2024, SpaceX experienced a rare in-flight failure with its Falcon 9 rocket during the Starlink 9-3 mission. This mission aimed to deploy 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch initially appeared successful, but the second stage encountered an anomaly during its critical burn phase, which prevented the rocket from achieving its intended orbit. 

SpaceX Requests FAA to Resume Falcon 9 Launches Amid Ongoing Investigation

SpaceX Requests FAA to Resume Falcon 9 Launches Amid Ongoing Investigation

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches a load of Starlink satellites to orbit earlier this year. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches a load of Starlink satellites to orbit earlier this year. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

SpaceX has petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to permit the resumption of its Falcon 9 rocket flights, despite an ongoing investigation into a recent mission anomaly. The request comes just days after a malfunction during a Starlink mission led to the grounding of the reusable launch vehicles.

SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

KSC's Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN
KSC’s Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule following a booster failure on July 11, 2024. Falcon 9 boosters have been grounded by the FAA pending investigation. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN

The Commercial Crew Program – All About Redundancy

SpaceX’s second-stage failure on their venerable Falcon 9 booster Thursday demonstrates exactly why NASA wants dissimilar redundancy for crewed flights. The idea is simple: if one launch provider is grounded for a technical issue or a launch failure investigation, the other can take up the slack. The duopoly of crewed launch providers is meant to assure the nation of continuous access to orbit while launching from American soil.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences In-Flight Failure, 20 Starlink Satellites In Jeopardy

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences In-Flight Failure, 20 Starlink Satellites In Jeopardy

Booster 1063 safely lands on a SpaceX Droneship. Image: SpaceX
Booster 1063 safely lands on a SpaceX Droneship. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX encountered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015 Thursday night, resulting in 20 Starlink satellites being deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit. The incident occurred during SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the year. The mission, designated Starlink 9-3, initially appeared to proceed without issue after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. PDT .

SpaceX Waits Out Lightning, Launches Turksat-6A

SpaceX Waits Out Lightning, Launches Turksat-6A

Liftoff of Falcon 9 carrying Türksat-6A to orbit on July 8, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Liftoff of Falcon 9 carrying Türksat-6A to orbit on July 8, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX weathered lightning in the area until skies cleared early this evening, allowing the company to launch the Turksat-6A mission aboard a Falcon 9. Originally scheduled for 5:20 PM EDT, Turksat liftoff was delayed several times until 7:30 PM when the afternoon’s storms were far away enough to allow the rocket to safely ascend towards orbit.

SpaceX Planning To Launch Turksat 6A Aboard Falcon 9 Late Monday Afternoon

SpaceX Planning To Launch Turksat 6A Aboard Falcon 9 Late Monday Afternoon

A Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 in May 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 carrying a Turkish telecommunications satellite later Monday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, weather permitting. The launch window opens at 05:20 PM EDT and extends over four hours to 09:43 PM EDT Monday.