Another SpaceX mission has hit a snag.
SpaceX Has Delayed Its Polaris Dawn Mission Due to a Helium Leak
The company’s Falcon 9 rocket has now been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a booster exploded on its way back down to Earth, CBS News reported . The crash landing took place on Wednesday morning during a routine satellite launch from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida.
“After a successful ascent, Falcon 9’s first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship,” SpaceX wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The vehicle burst into flames before falling onto its side and into the Atlantic Ocean. The good news is that the Falcon 9’s second stage was victorious in delivering 21 internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.
In a statement, the FAA announced that it would now be investigating the cause of the incident in order to “identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again.” Luckily, there were no injuries, no property damage, and no crew aboard the droneship.
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The botched landing marks the first time the Elon Musk-founded company has failed to recover one of its boosters since February 2021, ending a streak of 267 successful touchdowns. Naturally, the grounding could have implications for the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, which was scheduled for takeoff this month . The crewed spaceflight was targeting an August 26 launch but was delayed earlier in the week due to a helium leak . It was then pushed back once more after reports of bad weather.
“A return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster rocket is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety,” the FAA said. “In addition, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements.”
Polaris Dawn, when it does get approved for takeoff, plans to send four crew members into space, including billionaire Jared Isaacman who’s funding the Polaris program. The mission will use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying its Dragon spacecraft to launch the non-astronauts into Earth’s orbit. If everything goes according to plan, the crew members will carry out the first commercial spacewalk with the help of the company’s newly developed EVA space suits and reach altitudes higher than those traveled since NASA’s Apollo program in the 1970s.
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