SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded after Starlink satellites lost in launch failure

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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded after Starlink satellites lost in launch failure

Рет қаралды 57,411

Ай бұрын

For the first time since 2016, SpaceX is unable to launch its workhorse launch vehicle, the Falcon 9 rocket. During the Starlink 9-3 mission, which launched on July 11, 2024, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the rocket's upper stage suffered a liquid oxygen leak. That prevented a key second burn of the Merlin Vacuum engine, causing the company to lose all 20 Starlink satellites due to deployment at a low altitude.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring an investigation before the rocket is allowed to fly again. With the Crew-9 and Polaris Dawn astronaut missions previously scheduled to launch in August, NASA and other customers are closely watching the progress of the mishap investigation and when SpaceX will be approved to launch the Falcon 9 once again.
Spaceflight Now Reporter Will Robinson-Smith spoke astrophysicist and expert orbital tracker Johnathan McDowell about Falcon 9's issue and what the near term future for SpaceX may hold.
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Пікірлер: 80

@hoynyhouse Ай бұрын

It's been an amazing run. Stuff happens. This will be resolved. More missions to come.

@saintuk70 Ай бұрын

It's crazy to think that a leak on stage two is such big news, a nod to just how routine F9 launches have become to us.

@craigsheffield6546 Ай бұрын

It's a heck of a lot better than the record of The Space Shuttle.

@paradoxicalcat7173 29 күн бұрын

This is what makes some of the comments by FAA and NASA so infuriating. SpaceX is already miles ahead in safety and reliability than anything that has gone before.

@TheMoneypresident 29 күн бұрын

@@craigsheffield6546 oranges do look different from apples.

@craigsheffield6546 26 күн бұрын

@@TheMoneypresident SpaceX took over for The Space Shuttle.

@brittadactyl Ай бұрын

Proud of Falcon! They have been the most reliable.

@ReallyNoAlex Ай бұрын

This really wasn't a terrible outcome though, it was with their own payload and they have a lot of data to go in in addressing the issue in the future. Hopefully the insurance rate isnt hit too hard

@donaldtrammel2475 Ай бұрын

Hopefully a fast easy fix.

@i_grok_u2902 Ай бұрын

Launching as much as they do= problems happen, rocket science is hard.

@jasonsphinx8461 Ай бұрын

Of course I still love you~

@EngineHeat Ай бұрын

Falcon 9!

@JeffreyBue_imtxsmoke Ай бұрын

Great interview. I'm looking forward to hearing what the root cause and ultimate fix will be. I have total confidence in SpaceX's ability to sort these things out. I'm fairly certain that this isn't a design fault or this would have reared it's ugly head sooner... more likely IMHO, what Jonathan alluded to in the interview... maybe trying to go too hard, too fast, scheduling pressure. We shall see

@igorschmidlapp6987 Ай бұрын

I remember Will calling attention to the extra "frost" during the views of the second stage... The problem lies in the second stage system, not the reusable booster, so, that's something...

@damonried1720 Ай бұрын

The very fact that you need a five mile exclusion zone around space rockets before any launch tells you all you need to know about how dangerous space is. If you wish to go to space you must be willing to assume the risks.

@clevergirl4457 Ай бұрын

Even with this failure, Falcon remains unmatched in terms of reliability. It’s only going to get better after the lessons learned from this. Hoping SpaceX and the FAA get this global workhorse back on the pad soon.

@paulcontursi5982 Ай бұрын

I fully agree but the timing is bad. While the Falcon 9 is grounded, we can't send crew to the space station. Moreover, the Polaris Dawn mission is now on hold too. Since Falcon Heavy uses the same upper stage, this might impact the Europa Clipper mission as well. Best of luck to the SpaceX team on working the problem.

@clevergirl4457 Ай бұрын

@@paulcontursi5982 true. Europa clipper itself had a big problem pop up as well…

@ThatOpalGuy Ай бұрын

fun to watch, extremely unfortunate. Thanks for the update, Team SFN.

@KalystiaLee Ай бұрын

Excellent analysis. Thanks, Will and Jonathan McDowell. Hopefully this is resolved quickly, and we get back to Falcon 9 launches soon! ❤

@sg9414 Ай бұрын

Thanks so much for the update SFN. ❤

@Michael-ul7kv Ай бұрын

hopefully then can narrow down where and why this oxygen leak occurred to get it resolved quickly

@eskieman3948 Ай бұрын

I think "Billy" from "Young Sheldon" was working on the second stage..... 😂😂🤣🤣

@sweynforkbeardtraindude Ай бұрын

Bummer!

@alanmacification Ай бұрын

It wasn't just frost, there was a liquid streaming down one side. It looked like an oxygen leak.

@StingerNSW Ай бұрын

A well round analysis, thanks to SFN and Jonathan McDowell 👍

@imleta 29 күн бұрын

Thanks Will! You never fail to keep us in the know! Appreciate you!

@vikinginfidel4293 26 күн бұрын

At least it happened on a starlink mission and not a human mission. I'm sure they'll figure it out pretty quick and get going again. The beauty about failing is you can learn to be better.

@uuzd4s Ай бұрын

I was a maintenance QC Inspector for a U.S. Major Air carrier for 2+ decades. Every bit of maintenance on U.S, commercial aircraft is regulated and given oversight by the FAA. With the Airline I'd worked for, we were required to take yearly recurrent training on the causes of faulty maintenance and also to refresh on the FAR's (Federal Aviation Regulations), governing our Inspection criteria. That and were trained recurrently on Maintenance Resource Management, IOW, where & how to look for the correct info needed for installation, testing & operation of the maint item. In Aviation, it's a fact that most maintenance errors are caused by Distraction. Some event took place that took the Mechanic out of their routine, and when the returned to complete the job a step gets missed, such as tightening a "B" nut on a fluid supply line. Distraction accounts for around 90% of maintenance errors w/ improper procedures causing around 3% of maint errors and lastly followed by faulty parts from a vendor. I'm guessing that somebody in SpaceX's Oxygen line installation dept has some Splainin to do ! 🤔

@mscaptjo Ай бұрын

Tyvm for most of truth ❤

@TheMoneypresident Ай бұрын

Boeing and Blue origin is willing to help out.😂

@robinzamory5107 29 күн бұрын

So funny 😂 I love it 😄

@jamesfowley4114 Ай бұрын

I was wondering if the frost was from the fog condensing on the rocket internals when they were fueling.

@gregorysagegreene 29 күн бұрын

Hardly think it's a Morton-Thiocol thing. It's really important to get the government involved in this, because they actually do stuff.

@jeffdunnell6693 28 күн бұрын

Geez,everything breaks,same with reusable rockets 🚀

@tmg7476 Ай бұрын

I have more faith in SpaceX than I do in Boeing.

@jimrenner9401 Ай бұрын

I have faith in Boeing , statically they’re safer than rockets. While Starlink is now 300-1 Boeing aircraft number in the thousands and their record these days is 10,000 better.

@eskieman3948 Ай бұрын

@@jimrenner9401 You're talking apples 'n aircraft. No one cares about a 737's safety record when you're stuck up on the ISS because your Boeing bucket broke.

@AzaTht Ай бұрын

It's Jonathan McDowell, and not Johnathan right?

@HowToSpacic Ай бұрын

Yes, his name is spelled Jonathan.

@AllFiveExodia5 Ай бұрын

Bro went time out 💀

@batjdgman 25 күн бұрын

Would have been so cool to see a lift off while we were down here this week :( but safely first.

@user-fr3hy9uh6y Ай бұрын

Ramping up production to 150 second stages a year can introduce a host of quality problems.

@paradoxicalcat7173 29 күн бұрын

They talk as if a high launch cadence is a bad thing. Space is already dangerous. Saying flying less makes it safer is the most bogus statement in engineering. There is absolutely nothing to substantiate it.

@jonesjoyce1215 Ай бұрын

I don't consider anything embarrassing about experimental launches of scientific engineering of this level of complexity. I consider it something natural and part of the process. And I don't see any intention of making it seem different from this on the part of SpaceX, which confirms its ethical integrity and professional maturity. Even in surgery on the human body there are risks, and no one goes after the doctor to embarrass him. Care is taken to avoid accidents, but it is still a scientific technology, that is, in constant evolution and consequent transformation. What matters to me is that they are in the process, and we will reach our Star Trek destination with rockets and ships of various super sophisticated engineering types, and Elon Musk will always be a pioneer, because this mission on Earth was destined for him, and in a very particular and significant way. 🗽👏👏👏💝💙💥🔥🚀🛸

@Mike88GT Ай бұрын

Was not a "launch failure".

@HowToSpacic Ай бұрын

Yes it was, the rocket failed to get the payloads to a usable orbit, that is nothing but a failure. Some are trying to argue that it is a partial failure but that would only be the case is the payloads were able to recover and raise orbit but this was not possible. This was absolutely a launch failure.

@Mike88GT Ай бұрын

@@HowToSpacic was definately not a launch failure, the launch was fine

@boing7679 Ай бұрын

@@Mike88GTdoesnt a rocket launch refer to the entire process of getting a spacecraft into the desired orbit? If yes, then that was definitely a failed launch.

@Mike88GT 29 күн бұрын

@@HowToSpacic was a failure in flight not launch. it's called space flight.

@HowToSpacic 29 күн бұрын

@@Mike88GT the second stage is part of the launch as well, any boost provided by the rocket to get it's payload onto it's final trajectory is considered as part of the launch, so yes this is a launch failure.

@DispatchMinion Ай бұрын

The Falcon 9 did not fail. the 2nd stage failed. Right?

@paradoxicalcat7173 29 күн бұрын

Yes! They keep referring to the second stage as if it was the first stage. AFAIK a second stage failure is less of a risk than first stage. The engine destroyed itself, but the tank didn't explode and the payload still deployed nominally; it was just the orbit that was screwed up.

@garryviles Ай бұрын

With this incident and the last-second abort of another Falcon 9 launch on June 14, I wouldn't be surprised of a finding that SpaceX is pushing their schedule too much leading to human error.

@paradoxicalcat7173 29 күн бұрын

What info do you have to back up that statement?

@garryviles 29 күн бұрын

@@paradoxicalcat7173 Use google or your favorite search engine, there are articles suggesting SpaceX is pushing their employees too hard. Two incidents in one month with a Falcon 9 launch indicates SpaceX has a problem. We'll know more after the FAA investigation.

@ChiakiNanami736 Ай бұрын

Around 7:00, what’s being said doesn’t match what is being said.

@boing7679 Ай бұрын

The subtitles are a bit weird for the whole video

@coastie1961 28 күн бұрын

Thats about a 99% success rate at about 10% of the price of a NASA launch.

@turbofanlover Ай бұрын

Get it fixed, Elon.

@Notdave29 26 күн бұрын

What about Ms. Shotwell?

@sjTHEfirst Ай бұрын

Elon should ask Boeing to help.

@garymckenna2945 Ай бұрын

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@hughjass-pz3cp Ай бұрын

spaceZ might want to check the back ground of their assembly personnel. former boeing employees.

@samuelgarrod8327 Ай бұрын

Space travel is not part of an ecosystem.

@valentinaelenasavin8202 Ай бұрын

So sorry .keep doing it Elon .you are the higher ever❤

@JuanSanchez-ik7wx Ай бұрын

best played back at 2x speed. These droids talk so slowly that drool is running down their chins

@craig7350 Ай бұрын

guys just guessing about what might have happened. Not very useful.

@HowToSpacic Ай бұрын

Jonathan McDowell is an astronomer and he has certainly done the math to prove these satellites have deorbited, also some re-entries were seen over argentina and chile last night that were definitely sats from 9-3

@dantelio1383 29 күн бұрын

After so many perfect flights, then Elon gives money to Trump and this happens. Disgruntle employee? Maybe? I'm just saying, I know nothing about rockets. I may be barking up the wrong tree. Remotes are not always right.

@MrKentaroMotoPI Ай бұрын

Another failure for a notoriously unreliable launch system: 96%. Most modern launch systems have 100% reliability. Then there's Starship: 0/4 for orbital launches.

@garymckenna2945 Ай бұрын

Are you on drugs?? Space X is the most successful per quantity of launches than anyone else in history.👍🏻