The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket—again—after a glitch during a NASA mission this weekend. This marks the third FAA-mandated pause in three months, sparking questions about the reliability of the world’s most-flown rocket.
During Saturday’s crewed mission to the International Space Station, the Falcon 9’s second-stage engine failed to reignite properly, causing the booster to splash down outside its approved safety zone. Despite the hiccup, NASA astronauts arrived safely at the ISS. \"The crew was never in danger,\" the FAA confirmed.
SpaceX described the issue as an \"off-nominal deorbit burn\"—tech-speak for \"something went sideways.\" The company vowed to investigate before resuming launches. But with Falcon 9 averaging 2-3 flights weekly, delays could ripple across global space projects.
History Repeating?
July’s grounding followed a botched Starlink satellite deployment, while August saw a failed first-stage landing. Though missions weren’t jeopardized, these mishaps spotlight rising tensions between SpaceX and the FAA over launch licensing and fines.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starship program faces its own regulatory hurdles. Fans of Elon Musk’s Mars ambitions might need to buckle up: The space race just got a little bumpier.
\"The crew was never in danger,\" the FAA confirmed.
SpaceX Cleared for Liftoff After Falcon 9 Mishap:…
