With FAA OK, SpaceX back to normal Falcon 9 launches

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Oct 15, 2024

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ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday with a full OK from the Federal Aviation Administration, its first since a second stage failure on the Crew-8 launch grounded the rocket.

A Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:10 a.m. marking the 70th launch from all providers for the year from the Space Coast.

Its first-stage booster flew for the 11th time, making a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

The Falcon 9 launch came just under 14 hours after the company’s powerhouse Falcon Heavy launched NASA’s Europa Clipper mission from nearby Kennedy Space Center.

The company also sent up a Starlink mission from its California launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base in the early hours Wednesday.

For the year, the company has launched 101 times from its Florida, California and Texas sites. That’s 96 Falcon 9, two Falcon Heavy and three Starship and Super Heavy missions, the most recent of which came Sunday with a successful recovery of the Super Heavy booster back at the launch site.

The Falcon 9 had been grounded for most launches by the FAA after the Sept. 28 launch of the Crew-9 mission successfully sent a two-person crew on its way to the International Space Station.

But after separation, the second stage engines on that mission failed to fire for a reentry trajectory.

No one was injured in the incident, but SpaceX announced it was halting Falcon 9 launches for review, and the FAA confirmed it had grounded the rocket.

SpaceX submitted its completed investigation on Oct. 4, and the FAA issued a single launch license for a mission SpaceX flew days later for the European Space Agency because that flight didn’t feature a second stage reentry.

It officially confirmed SpaceX’s investigation was closed as of Friday, though, fully clearing the rocket.

“The FAA reviewed and accepted the SpaceX-led investigation findings and corrective actions for the mishap that occurred with the Crew-9 mission,” it announced.

It also said two previous missions this year that grounded the Falcon 9 also had their investigations closed.