SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, a star player in global space launches, faced its first failure in over seven years during Thursday’s Starlink mission. The incident triggered an FAA grounding order, halting flights until further notice. The rocket’s second stage malfunctioned after liftoff from California, leaving 20 Starlink satellites stranded in a 'shallow orbit'—doomed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. 🌍🔥
Musk’s 'Star Trek' Hail Mary
Elon Musk confirmed the rocket experienced a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD)—space jargon for 'things went boom.' 💥 The billionaire joked that SpaceX is pushing a software update to make satellite thrusters fire harder, quipping: 'Unlike a Star Trek episode, this probably won’t work, but it’s worth a shot.' 🖖 NASA has joined the investigation, calling SpaceX 'forthcoming' with updates.
What’s Next?
The FAA says Falcon 9 flights are paused until SpaceX fixes the issue—a process that could take weeks or months. Liquid oxygen leaks are suspected. The grounding may delay upcoming missions, though no crewed flights were immediately affected. For now, space enthusiasts are left watching the skies as the failed satellites make their fiery descent. 🔭✨
