This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
SpaceX has suspended its Falcon 9 launches to investigate a problem that popped up with the rocket's second stage after yesterday's Crew 9 launch for NASA. The Falcon 9 took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station yesterday with a crew for the first time, with its second mission where two astronauts piloted the Crew Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX shared on X earlier that while the Falcon 9 second stage for the Crew 9 mission was disposed of in the ocean as per its plan, an anomaly on the rocket meant that it missed its designated landing area. As a result, the firm is suspending its launches as it investigates the anomaly.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Suffers From Third Anomaly In Two Months
SpaceX launched the Crew 9 mission yesterday after a small delay due to weather constraints in Florida. The mission was the first time that the firm launched a NASA crew from the Cape Canaveral Space Force station, and during a media talk, SpaceX's Bill Gerstenmaier shared that using the Cape for a crewed launch helps the firm maintain a rapid launch cadence. This cadence enabled an upcoming launch of the Europa Clipper mission, a satellite being sent to Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
However, as of now, it appears that the Clipper mission might be delayed. In an update on X, SpaceX shared that the Falcon 9's second stage "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn" as it was reentring the Earth after the mission. A deorbit burn reduces the rocket's altitude to allow gravity to safely bring it back to Earth. SpaceX added that while the Falcon 9 second stage was able to successfully splash down in the ocean, it landed "outside of the targeted area."
Ahead of yesterday's launch, NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich had shared that his agency had worked with SpaceX for the firm's recent rocket anomalies. One of these had involved a Falcon 9 second stage whose engine misfired, while the other saw a Falcon 9 first stage booster make a hard landing on SpaceX's drone ship and tip over.
SpaceX moved fast after the previous second stage anomaly and cleared the rocket for flight after making sure that the systems involved behind the mishap were not used in subsequent flights. Whether the same systems are involved in the latest Falcon 9 second stage anomaly is unclear.
Additionally, whether SpaceX's decision to "resume launching after we better understand root cause" can also delay the Europe Clipper launch is also unclear. The Clipper is slated to launch on October 10th on the Falcon Heavy, and SpaceX's next Falcon 9 launch was due tomorrow. 2024 has seen the firm rapidly scale up its launch cadence as it signs multiple deals for the Starlink internet constellation and grows its Starlink user base to cover more than four million people.
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.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
