David Shepardson reported that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration mentioned that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 vehicle might resume flight operations even though there is an ongoing investigation into the issue during a recent Starlink mission. The FAA approved SpaceX’s request to return to flight on Friday after they requested it on Thursday. The agency stated that flights can resume if all other license requirements are met.
The Falcon 9 was grounded on Wednesday after a failed landing attempt during a Starlink mission. The rocket successfully launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida but had a mishap during the landing, causing it to topple into the ocean.
Groundings of the Falcon 9 are uncommon, as it is a key rocket for putting satellites and humans into space. The rocket was previously grounded in July for the first time since 2016 due to a failure in space that affected a batch of Starlink satellites.
Despite the grounding, SpaceX is scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts in late September using a Crew Dragon spacecraft. This mission will bring back the two astronauts currently on the International Space Station after their journey on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was problematic.
SpaceX has a sizable fleet of reusable Falcon boosters, allowing them to launch more frequently than their competitors. A Starlink mission planned for launch from California was called off after the landing failure on Wednesday.
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