US FAA Grounds SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket After Second-Stage Malfunction: U.S. News & World Report

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket following a second-stage malfunction during a recent launch. The incident, which occurred during a mission to deploy a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit, has raised concerns about the safety of the company’s rockets.

The malfunction occurred shortly after the Falcon 9’s second stage separated from the first stage. According to SpaceX, the issue was related to a problem with the rocket’s Merlin engine, which failed to ignite properly. As a result, the second stage was unable to complete its burn and deliver the satellites to their intended orbit.

In response to the incident, the FAA has ordered SpaceX to halt all launches of the Falcon 9 rocket until further notice. The agency cited concerns about the company’s safety procedures and the need for a thorough investigation into the cause of the malfunction.

This is not the first time that SpaceX has experienced issues with its rockets. In 2016, a Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad during a routine pre-launch test. While the company has made improvements to its rockets since then, the recent malfunction has raised questions about the reliability of SpaceX’s vehicles.

SpaceX has not yet commented on the FAA’s decision to ground the Falcon 9 rocket. However, the company is expected to cooperate fully with the investigation and take steps to address any issues that may have contributed to the malfunction.

In the meantime, the grounding of the Falcon 9 rocket is likely to impact SpaceX’s launch schedule and could delay future missions. The company was scheduled to launch several more Starlink missions in the coming months, as well as a crewed mission to the International Space Station. It remains to be seen how long the grounding will last and what impact it will have on SpaceX’s future plans.