SpaceX is poised to return its Falcon 9 rocket to flight with the launch of the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft on Monday from Florida's Cape Canaveral. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the authorization following a comprehensive review.
The liftoff is scheduled for 10:52 a.m. Eastern Time (1452 GMT) and marks a significant milestone for SpaceX after the Falcon 9 was grounded due to a second-stage malfunction. The FAA's approval comes after careful consideration of the safety measures implemented to prevent a recurrence of previous issues.
\"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle is authorized to return to flight only for the planned Hera mission scheduled to launch on October 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida,\" the FAA stated on Sunday. The agency emphasized that the mission's potential public safety risks are mitigated by the absence of a second-stage reentry, a factor involved in the prior incident.
The Falcon 9 had been grounded following an anomaly during the Crew-9 mission in September, where the rocket's second stage inadvertently fell into the Pacific Ocean outside the approved safety zone. This incident led to the FAA requiring SpaceX to conduct a thorough investigation—the third grounding in as many months.
Hera's mission is to study the aftermath of NASA's 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which successfully altered the course of the asteroid Dimorphos. By analyzing the impact's effects, Hera aims to advance planetary defense strategies for deflecting asteroids that may threaten Earth in the future. Notably, the DART spacecraft was initially launched aboard a Falcon 9 in 2021.
The collaboration between SpaceX and international space agencies like the European Space Agency underscores the global effort in space exploration and planetary defense. The successful launch of Hera could pave the way for more advanced missions aimed at safeguarding our planet.
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 cleared for Hera mission launch after FAA review
cgtn.com
