Stranded astronauts could face further delays returning to Earth after SpaceX rockets grounded

The two astronauts stuck in space for nearly 90 days on Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft could face further delays after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets due to help bring them back to Earth were abruptly grounded this week.

Upcoming missions involving Falcon 9 were suddenly put on hold by the Federal Aviation Administration after the SpaceX rocket exploded in a failed landing from a routine satellite launch on Wednesday.

The sudden grounding comes just days after NASA revealed Elon Musk’s company had been tapped to help bring the stranded Starliner astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — back home in a SpaceX vehicle early next year.

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That mission is slated to involve a Falcon 9 rocket launching a Crew Dragon spacecraft with two astronauts onboard late next month.

At the end of that mission, Wilmore and Williams — who have been stuck on the International Space Station since June 5 — would then be able to hitch a ride back to Earth.

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It wasn’t immediately clear how the Falcon 9 rocket’s latest grounding would affect the timing of that NASA rescue mission.

The space agency, which regulates Falcon 9 for its own missions, hasn’t commented publicly about the risk of delays.

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Meanwhile, the grounding of Falcon 9 rockets could also impact the upcoming launch of SpaceX’s high-profile Polaris Dawn mission with four private astronauts who are poised to attempt the first private spacewalk.

The Polaris mission had been due to launch this week but was plagued by a launchpad hitch — and then delayed again over bad weather.

The Federal Aviation Authority confirmed it had ordered all Falcon 9 rocket launches to be halted as it carries out an investigation into Wednesday’s mishap.

The rocket had successfully launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit early Wednesday morning from Florida before a booster crashed and exploded en route back to Earth.

“The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation,” an FAA spokesperson said.

With Post wires

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