SpaceX’s Falcon 9 engine fails, Starlink satellites sent to wrong orbit

SpaceX launched yet another batch of Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California on Thursday, July 11.

Usually, these launches go off without a hitch. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 program has earned a reputation for reliability, with the workhorse Falcon 9 having launched thousands of satellites into orbit.

However, this time, the engine powering the Falcon 9’s second stage suffered a catastrophic failure. It occurred during the rocket’s attempt to carry out a final burn to raise its orbit. As a result, the Starlink satellites were deployed into a wrong orbit.

Falcon 9 engine failure

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Los Angeles at 10:35 pm EDT. Starlink launches require two firings of the second stage’s Merlin engine.

The second stage carried out its first firing around eight-and-a-half minutes after launch. As the second burn started, live video from the launch showed an unusual ice buildup.

In a post on the social media platform X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk referred to the anomaly as an “RUD.” The term, which stands for “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” is a running joke at SpaceX, typically used after an explosion.

“Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown,” Musk explained on X . “Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause. Starlink satellites were deployed, but the perigee (orbital low point) may be too low for them to raise orbit. Will know more in a few hours.”

Former SpaceX engineer Tom Mueller, who led the design of the Falcon 9 Merlin engine, stated that the engine has had an incredibly impressive run. On X, he said, “We knew this incredible run had to come to an end at some point, but 344 flights in a row is amazing! The team will fix the problem and start the cycle again.”

SpaceX later added that the mission’s flight controllers had made contact with five of the 20 deployed Starlink satellites. They were “attempting to have them raise orbit using their ion thrusters.”

Impact on upcoming launches?

It appears unlikely that the Starlink satellites will be able to reach their intended orbit, although it remains a possibility. The most likely outcome, however, is that they will reenter Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in the process.

Musk added on X that the SpaceX team was “updating satellite software to run the ion thrusters at their equivalent of warp 9. Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it’s worth a shot. The satellite thrusters need to raise orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down or they burn up.”

SpaceX will release updates once they know more. In the meantime, the failed Falcon 9 launch has the potential to delay upcoming high-profile launches for SpaceX.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman’s private Polaris Dawn mission , which will carry out the first private spacewalk in history, was expected to launch at the end of the month. NASA had also scheduled a Falcon 9 launch to send a new crew to the International Space Station on August 19.

There is hope that SpaceX will quickly get back on track, however. The Falcon 9’s reliable track record definitely works in the company’s favor. Thursday’s launch was SpaceX’s 69th Falcon 9 flight this year and the 354th overall launch since the rocket’s maiden flight in 2010.