FAA Approves SpaceX Falcon 9’s Return to Flight Following Mishap Investigation
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that it has approved the return to flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. This decision comes after the FAA reviewed and accepted the findings and corrective actions from SpaceX’s investigation into the mishap that occurred on September 28.
On September 30, the FAA had grounded the Falcon 9 after the rocket’s second stage malfunctioned following a NASA astronaut mission. The malfunction caused the booster to fall into a region of the Pacific Ocean outside of the designated safety zone approved by the FAA. This incident marked the third grounding of the Falcon 9 in three months.
In addition to the September incident, the FAA also announced on Friday that it has closed the investigations into the Falcon 9 mishaps that occurred during Starlink missions in July and August.
Resumption of Flights
On October 6, the FAA stated that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 could return to flight for a mission scheduled the following day. The mission involved launching the European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft from Florida.
Future Launches
Separately, it has been reported that the FAA could approve a license for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship 5 as soon as this month. Starship 5 will be the fifth test launch of the company’s Starship rocket, which is designed to be a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond.
SpaceX stated on Monday that Starship’s fifth flight test could launch as soon as Sunday, pending FAA regulatory approval. “Starship stacked ahead of its fifth flight test. We expect regulatory approval in time to fly on October 13,” the company posted on Friday on the social media platform X.
(With input from Reuters)
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FAA approves SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight after mishap probe
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