The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has placed a temporary hold on SpaceX Falcon 9 launches following the failure of a booster to land properly during an otherwise successful launch of 21 Starlink satellites on Aug. 28.
The FAA confirmed in a statement that they are investigating the incident, which saw flames erupt from the booster's base, causing it to tip over shortly after landing on a droneship. While the incident caused no injuries or damage beyond the loss of the booster, the FAA has deemed it necessary to investigate potential safety implications.
“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 stated. "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."
Though the investigation is ongoing, launches could resume before it is completed. The FAA states that launch vehicle operators can request a "public safety determination" if the incident "did not involve safety-critical systems or otherwise jeopardize public safety." If the FAA grants this determination, launches can proceed while the investigation continues.
SpaceX has yet to provide any further details regarding the incident, but one company executive, Jon Edwards, Vice President of Falcon Launch Vehicles at SpaceX, stated on social media that the incident was a recovery issue and not a public safety concern. "We are working as hard as we can to thoroughly understand root cause and get corrective actions in place ASAP," Edwards wrote. “One thing we do know though is this was purely a recovery issue and posed no threat to primary mission or public safety.”
One industry source, speaking on background, suggested that the time it takes for the FAA to review the safety issue and permit launches to resume will depend on the root cause of the booster failure. A landing leg failure, for example, might be quickly cleared, but an engine malfunction might require a more extensive investigation.
The FAA's decision to halt launches follows a similar action taken in July after an upper stage engine failure during a Starlink launch. SpaceX received FAA approval to resume launches two weeks later through a public safety determination.
The FAA's announcement comes at a crucial time for SpaceX, delaying upcoming Falcon 9 launches including the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission. SpaceX had postponed the mission hours before the Starlink launch due to unfavorable weather conditions for the splashdown location off the Florida coast. SpaceX had announced that they would not pursue launch opportunities in the early morning hours of Aug. 28 or 29, and have yet to provide an update since.
"Our launch criteria are heavily constrained by forecasted splashdown weather conditions," Jared Isaacman, the billionaire commander of Polaris Dawn, posted shortly after SpaceX announced the launch delay. "With no ISS rendezvous and limited life support consumables, we must be absolutely sure of reentry weather before launching."
"We’re just focused on recovery weather at this point," Isaacman said after the announcement of the FAA investigation. "I think that is still gate to our launch."