SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Fails to Land, Starship Test Flight Awaits FAA Approval

SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Fails to Land, Starship Test Flight Awaits FAA ApprovalAugust 29: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites into orbit on Monday morning, setting a record for the most launches of a first-stage booster (23). However, the first-stage booster encountered issues during its return to Earth, toppling over shortly after landing on SpaceX's drone ship

SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Fails to Land, Starship Test Flight Awaits FAA Approval

August 29: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites into orbit on Monday morning, setting a record for the most launches of a first-stage booster (23). However, the first-stage booster encountered issues during its return to Earth, toppling over shortly after landing on SpaceX's drone ship. This event prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to announce an investigation into the failed Falcon 9 booster landing and a temporary suspension of Falcon 9 launches pending the investigation's conclusion.

In an emailed statement, FAA officials said: "Falcon 9's return to flight is contingent upon the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly will not affect public safety." They added, "Additionally, SpaceX may need to apply to the FAA for modifications to its launch license to incorporate corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements." It remains unclear how long this process could take.

While this incident only impacted the recovery of the rocket booster, even a few days of grounding could affect SpaceX's upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. This commercial spaceflight mission, scheduled for five days, will send four crew members into orbit and conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk. SpaceX had initially planned to launch Polaris Dawn on Monday morning, but the launch was scrubbed due to weather conditions. The company said it would not attempt a launch on Tuesday morning, but a new launch date has not been set.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is pushing forward with the development of Starship. Over the past several weeks, the company has been making upgrades to the Starship launch pad in South Texas, with workers wielding welding torches almost daily, sparks flying from the two robotic arms of the Starship launch tower. If Starship's next test flight proceeds as planned, the robotic arms will grab the Super Heavy booster as it returns to Earth and hovers above the launchpad. This booster recovery method is significantly different from the Falcon 9 first-stage booster recovery method, which relies on landing legs to land on a platform at sea or on land. SpaceX says using large robotic arms to catch the booster will reduce the turnaround time for booster reuse and simplify design.

So far, SpaceX has conducted four test flights of the Starship system. The most recent one took place in June, when the 71-meter-tall Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage flew half-way around the Earth before splashing down in the northwest waters off Australia. SpaceX did not attempt to recover either the booster or the Starship during that flight. The lessons learned from that test flight led SpaceX to replace thousands of thermal tiles on the Starship. Cameras on the Starship showed that numerous tiles were shed during the flight. Last month, SpaceX tested the rocket engines that will be used for the next test flight. On August 8, SpaceX said that the Starship and Super Heavy booster are "ready to fly, pending FAA approval."

An FAA spokesperson said that the agency is evaluating SpaceX's submitted test flight plan, which will attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster on the launchpad. Although Starship appears ready for launch, SpaceX clearly believes there is more work to be done on the launchpad. Close-up observations show welders installing structural supports and reinforcement for the robotic arms, while other workers are removing and adding extra equipment. SpaceX has not specifically stated what the team is working on at the launchpad, but the focus is on bolstering the hardware needed to capture the Super Heavy booster.

It's unclear how long it will take the FAA to approve SpaceX's next test flight application or when SpaceX will finish upgrading the launchpad. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said earlier this month that the next test flight could happen in late August, but looking at the state of the launchpad and the tests that still need to be performed, it's probably at least a few weeks away.

Once the workers have finished upgrading the launchpad and removed the scaffolding and cranes, SpaceX will likely stack the Starship and Super Heavy booster and fuel them up for a static fire test, as it does before each launch. Meanwhile, SpaceX is also building a second Starship launchpad next to the existing one, which is expected to be ready for use sometime next year. SpaceX is also planning to build two Starship launchpads at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Additionally, the company is building a large factory near the Starship facility in South Texas, just a few miles from the launchpad.

Ultimately, SpaceX hopes to land Starship on land, just as it does with its boosters. SpaceX has a contract with NASA to use Starship for the lunar lander mission for the Artemis lunar program. However, Starship is still in the initial testing phase. SpaceX first needs to focus on sending Starship into space and recovering the Super Heavy booster. Next, it needs to fully recover Starship and demonstrate its ability to re-ignite its engines in space, as well as test on-orbit refueling techniques, which will be needed for future lunar and Martian missions.

Catherine Koerner, NASA's associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, recently said that the first four Starship test flights have shown "tremendous progress." According to the lunar lander contract between NASA and SpaceX, SpaceX's next milestone is demonstrating the ability to transfer cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen propellants from one Starship to another in orbit. NASA sources indicate that this task is planned for the first quarter of 2025, which will require SpaceX to have a second launchpad in Texas by then. "They need to accomplish some key milestones before they can do that," Koerner said. "These next few test flights are not contractual milestones for them, they are learning milestones they've set for their independent development activities."