SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket cleared to fly again with two high-profile missions ahead
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The world’s most frequently launched rocket — the SpaceX Falcon 9 — is cleared to fly again, federal regulators announced Friday evening, putting the vehicle back on track for two high-profile human spaceflight missions.
The world’s most frequently launched rocket — the SpaceX Falcon 9 — is cleared to fly again, federal regulators announced Friday evening, putting the vehicle back on track for two high-profile human spaceflight missions.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, grounded SpaceX’s rocket on Aug. 28, after part of a Falcon 9 rocket booster exploded while attempting to land. Just two days later, the agency said it has cleared the rocket to return to flight.
“The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during (Wednesday’s) mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met,” the agency said in an emailed statement. “SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.”
Falcon 9’s clearance comes as SpaceX has two pivotal missions on its manifest. The company is slated to launch a mission called Polaris Dawn that will carry a crew of civilian space travellers on an ambitious journey to attempt the first commercial spacewalk. The launch has already been delayed due to a ground systems issue and forecasts of inclement weather.
And as soon as late September, SpaceX is set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on Crew-9, a mission that — after a monthslong rotation — aims to ultimately bring home Boeing Starliner’s test flight crew in 2025.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been in limbo on the orbiting laboratory since their Starliner flight in early June.
Failed Falcon 9 booster landing attempts — such as the one that occurred on Wednesday — do not affect the overall success of a SpaceX mission. The company attempts the manoeuvre solely so it can refurbish and reuse the rocket boosters, a practice that brings down the cost of each flight, according to SpaceX.
