Falcon 9 stand-down: SpaceX second stage lands outside of target area post Crew-9 launch

(This story has been updated with the latest information as the story develops.)

Just 12 hours after NASA's Crew-9 mission launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on what appeared to be a successful mission, SpaceX revealed that while there was no threat to the crew, not everything went as planned.

The second or upper stage successfully brought the Dragon to the intended orbit and then separated. However, when the second stage ignited its engine burn to re-enter the atmosphere, something went wrong. The second stage entered the ocean but not where SpaceX had planned.

As a result, SpaceX is voluntarily suspending Falcon 9 launches.

Just after midnight on Sunday, SpaceX posted to X (formerly Twitter):

"After today’s successful launch of Crew -9 , Falcon 9’s second stage was disposed in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn. As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside of the targeted area. We will resume launching after we better understand root cause."

In simple terms, the upper stage, which delivered the Crew Dragon to the correct orbit, performed as expected initially. However, a misfire occurred during the reentry burn. This caused the stage to land outside of the designated area. While SpaceX disposes of the upper stage in the ocean, it must be within a targeted area for public safety.

SpaceX has not stated specifically where the second stage has splashed down.

FLORIDA TODAY reached out to the FAA early Sunday, but has not received a response at the time of publication. It is unclear if the FAA will become involved, or if SpaceX is voluntarily looking into the incident.

It remains to be seen how long the investigation will impact the launch schedule. The next major launch for SpaceX is NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon. Europa Clipper is set to lift of no earlier than Oct. 10 atop a Falcon Heavy (three Falcon 9 rockets) from Pad 39A.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, Blue Origin rocket launch schedule from Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage mishap: a second this year

This is the second time SpaceX has had trouble this year with the second stage of the Falcon 9. Following a July 11 launch from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California, a second stage engine failed. The engine suffered a liquid oxygen leak — and 20 Starlink satellites got deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit and later burned up in the atmosphere.

The mishap prompted an FAA investigation into the incident and a grounding of SpaceX. After two weeks, SpaceX was cleared to resume launches.

It's been a difficult year for SpaceX. In an unrelated incident, on August 28, a Falcon 9 first stage tipped over upon touching down on a SpaceX droneship out on the Atlantic Ocean. This caused the first stage booster to burst into flames. This led to a two day investigation by the FAA before SpaceX could resume launches .

Meanwhile, the astronaut and cosmonaut on the Dragon docked Sunday evening with the space station as planned.

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Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars .

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Falcon 9 stand-down: SpaceX second stage lands outside of target area post Crew-9 launch