SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket suffered an engine failure after lifting off late Thursday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Starlink Group 9-3 mission was carrying Starlink satellites when it failed to re-ignite the second upper stage after it developed a leak. “While restarting the upper stage to raise the perigee, the engine shut down for an unknown reason,” the company said. Elon Musk last nightIt confirmed that the engine experienced an “unscheduled rapid disintegration.”
The Falcon 9’s second stage successfully completed its first burn, but the second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak. After a planned re-ignition of the upper stage engines to raise the perigee (the lowest point of the orbit), an anomaly occurred in the Merlin vacuum engine that prevented the second stage from completing its burn.
The company said in a statement that it was working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct a full investigation into the incident. The company said on its website:The Falcon 9 has been grounded by the FAA pending the outcome of the investigation. CNBC reports.
Friday afternoon, The company It made contact with 10 of the 20 satellites on board, but noted that the satellites were “in a very high-drag environment due to their perigee, or lowest point in their elliptical orbit,” and that the maximum thrust available “was likely not sufficient to successfully launch the satellites.” SpaceXThat is, re-entering the atmosphere, “It’s completely disappeared.”
The company said the satellites “pose no threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”