SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is grounded after fiery landing failure
SpaceX has yet to set a new date for its delayed Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket launch. | Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket following a failed landing attempt during a recent Starlink mission. After successfully carrying the satellites into orbit on Wednesday, the first-stage booster returned to Earth and toppled into the Atlantic Ocean in a fireball shortly after touchdown, ending a streak of 267 successful landings.
The FAA has ordered an investigation into the failed touchdown. “The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported,” an FAA spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. “A return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster rocket is based on the FAA...