SpaceX is looking to quickly return to Falcon 9 launches after a rare failure of its operational rocket during a satellite launch last week.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received a request from SpaceX Monday (July 15) to continue the launch Falcon 9 Flights during mandatory accident investigation after Starlink 9-3 failed mission The rocket’s upper stage suffered a liquid oxygen leak. SpaceX has asked the FAA for a public safety determination, which would allow the company to resume launches if the agency determines the anomaly “did not involve safety-critical systems or otherwise jeopardize public safety.” SpaceflightNow reported The FAA said in a statement Tuesday (July 16) that it also provided the statement to Space.com after a request.
“The FAA is responsible for, and committed to, protecting the public during commercial spacecraft launches and reentries,” the agency wrote in an emailed statement. “The FAA is reviewing the request.” [by SpaceX] Data and safety will be guided at every step of the process.
If approved, SpaceX could meet its schedule of launching two human spaceflights in the coming weeks. The Falcon 9 uses different versions of the rocket for both crewed and uncrewed launches. The first astronaut launch, scheduled for July 31, is a privately funded program. Polaris Dawn The mission (funded by American billionaire Jared Isaacman) will include the first commercial flight. space walk In high Earth orbit. The second mission, expected in mid-August, is the launch of the Crew-9 spacecraft to the International Space Station. International Space Station On behalf of NASA.
NASA said in a statement on July 12 that it is following up on the investigation into the failed launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and its potential impact on future astronaut missions.
“The safety of the crew and mission assurance are NASA’s top priorities,” NASA officials wrote in the statement. “SpaceX has been forthcoming in providing information and including NASA in the company’s ongoing investigation into the anomaly to understand the problem and the path forward. NASA will provide updates on the agency’s missions, including potential impacts to the schedule, if any, as more information becomes available.”
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has launched 364 missions into space and suffered only two failures in 14 years, suffered a liquid oxygen fuel leak in its second stage during a July 11 launch.
After a planned re-ignition of the upper stage engine to raise the perigee – or lowest point in the orbit – [single] Merlin vacuum engine [on the second stage] “We experienced an anomaly and were unable to complete the second burn,” SpaceX wrote in a blog post. Update July 12.
“Although the theatre survived and they still publish Satellites“It failed to rotate its orbit, but instead deactivated itself as it normally does at the end of every mission. This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135 kilometers,” SpaceX added. [84 miles]”It is less than half the expected nadir height.”
In its July 16 statement, the FAA said the request for a public safety determination will be evaluated based on matters including “the safety-critical systems, the nature and consequences of the anomaly, the adequacy of the current aviation safety analysis, the performance of the safety organization, and environmental factors.”
“If the FAA agrees that there are no public safety issues, the operator may return to flying while the investigation remains open, provided all other licensing requirements are met,” the statement added.
The FAA has not set a timeline for evaluating the application, which is common in aviation safety investigations due to the complex nature of spaceflight. Human-carrying missions, such as NASA’s Polaris Dawn and Crew 9, are likely to face an extra level of scrutiny.
The vast majority of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets are dedicated to… Starlink satellitesSpaceX’s rocket is intended to boost its satellite internet business, but it’s also used for critical national security missions, as well as a select group of high-profile government satellite launches for Earth observation, for example.
The Falcon 9 is also the most successful rocket launcher of any rocket today, with 69 launches into space so far in 2024 (including one failure). China, the world’s second-largest launch entity after SpaceX, is also launching its own rockets into space in 2024. 30 successful launches This year so far.
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