SpaceX might have lost another second stage Falcon 9 rocket launched at the start of this month shows data from the satellite tracking website Celes Track. The Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with SpaceX's 22 Starlink satellites. Once the Falcon 9's second stage deploys its satellites, it fires up its Merlin vacuum engine to reduce its speed for atmospheric reentry.
However, sources claim and satellite tracking data shows that the rocket missed its reentry target making it the third time in a year that the second stage has demonstrated anomalous behavior.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Second Stage Still In Orbit Shows Satellite Tracking Data
SpaceX's first Falcon 9 Block 5 second-stage failure occurred in July last year when the rocket's engine failed to fire in space before deploying its payload of Starlink satellites. SpaceX later explained that a liquid oxygen leak on the rocket led to its disintegration, and since it could not raise the altitude of the satellites, the spacecraft were also lost.
The second-stage anomaly was followed by a first-stage accident a couple of months later. The Falcon 9 booster, which flew another batch of Starlink satellites, made a hard landing on SpaceX's drone ship and tipped over. This marked a rare accident, the first landing failure in more than three years. The accident ended SpaceX's streak of a record-setting 267 successful landings.
After the rare booster landing failure, another Falcon 9 second stage demonstrated off-nominal behavior in September. This stage flew NASA's Crew-9 mission to space, and SpaceX shared that while it did enter the Earth's atmosphere and landed in the ocean, the rocket missed its designated landing spot. As a result, the firm suspended rocket launches while investigating the anomaly.
The fourth Falcon 9 anomaly in less than a year might have occurred after a Starlink mission on February 1st. Data from CelesTrack shows that the second stage rocket from this mission is still in orbit. This is despite the fact that the rocket was slated to land in the Pacific Ocean according to NOTAMs issued for the launch.
Unlike its previous missions, SpaceX is yet to share additional details about the latest potential Falcon 9 second-stage anomaly. It is likely that the rocket's engine did not fire to reduce its speed for an atmospheric entry.
Sources speaking to ArsTechnica shared that SpaceX delayed two Falcon 9 launches to investigate the problem. When the publication contacted the FAA, the agency told it that it would not require an investigation this time since all activities occurred within the scope of SpaceX's license. Since the Starlink launch on February 1st, SpaceX has launched two missions without error.
The first mission was another batch of Starlink spacecraft, while the other launched Earth observation satellites. SpaceX is also aiming to land a Falcon 9 rocket booster for the first time in the Bahamas on Monday to enable the rocket to "launch to new orbital trajectories."
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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