SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets have faced another setback, being grounded for the third time in three months after a crash landing in the ocean. The rocket was carrying a capsule destined for a “rescue mission” to bring home astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June. While the capsule successfully reached the ISS, other issues during the mission have sparked an investigation.
The launch took place at 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 28, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 rocket was transporting two astronauts, NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, inside a Dragon spacecraft capsule. The same capsule is planned to bring NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth in February 2025.
Following the successful deployment of the Dragon capsule and docking with the ISS, the rocket’s second stage experienced an unexpected issue during reentry, resulting in a crash landing outside the designated zone in the ocean. This event has prompted an investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), leading to the grounding of all Falcon 9 rockets until further notice.
This is the third time this year that SpaceX has faced FAA investigations leading to rocket groundings. Previous incidents occurred on July 11 when Starlink satellites were prematurely released, and on August 28 when a reusable booster exploded during landing. In addition, SpaceX’s super heavy Starship rocket was grounded in April 2023 after an explosion shortly after launch.
Despite these recent setbacks, Falcon 9 rockets have maintained an impressive success rate of over 99% in successful launches over the past 14 years. SpaceX’s commitment to space exploration and innovation remains unwavering, and the company will continue to work closely with regulatory authorities to ensure safe and successful future missions.