SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Grounded Over Fiery Booster Incident, Delaying Historic Spacewalk Mission
.jpg)
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission aims to complete the company’s first-ever spacewalk attempt. The four-person crew was scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the early morning hours of August 28, but was delayed due to weather.
Jared Isaacman, who will lead the Polaris Dawn mission, pointed out in a tweet on X that the Polaris Dawn mission not only needs favorable launch weather, but favorable splashdown weather as well. Now, the FAA has handed the crew another delay, requiring an investigation into the Falcon 9 booster's hard landing incident. The booster incident occurred during SpaceX’s Starlink 8-6 mission, and was the booster’s 23rd flight.
SpaceX announced it would stand down from a second Starlink launch following the booster incident “to give the team time to review booster landing data from the previous launch.” SpaceX authorities added that “newer Falcon boosters have upgraded landing legs with the capability to self-level and mitigate this type of issue.”
The FAA added in its statement that a return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster will be based on the FAA determining if any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety. It may also require SpaceX to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements.
Some experts have chimed in, noting the FAA tends to conduct these investigations quickly. So, it is possible a return to flight could happen within a week or two. Others have wondered why the FAA grounded all Falcon 9 launches if the anomaly only affects the booster landing back onto a drone ship safely.
As of right now, the Polaris Dawn crew will simply have to wait for the investigation into the booster anomaly to conclude. Hopefully, it will not to long, and the crew can make spacewalking history soon.
