Racing on time: Falcon 9 rocket failed again on the eve of two important missions

While the Dragon Freedom capsule has successfully reached the orbit by delivering two crew members to the international space station, the second degree designed for safe deorbitation did not succeed, Spaceflight now writes. In focus, technology appeared its Telegram channel.

Subscribe to not miss the most info and interesting news from the world of science! Falcon 9 fell outside the planned area into the ocean, which forced SpaceX to suspend further flights at the time of investigation of the problem. This happens at a critical moment for SpaceX, as the company is preparing for two major missions in October: ECA Mission to the Hera Asteroid system of Didimos and NASA's Mission of the Europa Clipper to the moon of Jupiter - Europe.

Both missions rely on Falcon missiles with a narrow starting window, and any delay in solving problems with the second degree can jeopardize these launches. Falcon Heavy, planned for the Europa mission, uses the same second stage as Falcon 9, which causes additional fears. Recently, SpaceX has already encountered similar failures, including the loss of 20 Starlink satellites in July and the first degree in August.

In response to these incidents, SpaceX quickly identified and eliminated the reasons, but the third planting on the shallows indicates a repetitive model, which can affect the company's reputation in terms of reliability. The company stated that the launches would be restored as soon as the root cause of this last problem is fully clarified. The Federal Civil Aviation Directorate (FAA) is expected, which controls SpaceX licenses for launches, will investigate the incident.

SpaceX is currently a dispute with FAA because of Falcon 9 penalties in the Kennedy Space Center, and delays in the issuance of permits for test flights. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDauel suggested that the combustion of the second degree was probably somewhat insufficient, causing the rocket to return at a long distance, but still within the safety.

These problems have attracted attention to the SpaceX missile program, while the company faces increasing demand for its services by both commercial and state organizations. Since there are two important research missions on the horizon, SpaceX is forced to solve problems and ensure the reliability of its Falcon missile park as soon as possible and reliably. Earlier, Focus wrote about a scientist's statement that extraterrestrial life would be discovered in 20 years.