SpaceX rocket accident sends satellites into wrong orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time in nearly a decade, a SpaceX rocket has failed, leaving the company’s internet satellites in an orbit so low that they are bound to fall through the atmosphere and burn up.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from California on Thursday evening with 20 Starlink satellites on board. After a few minutes of flight, the upper stage engine malfunctioned. SpaceX blamed a leak in liquid oxygen on Friday.

The company said flight controllers were able to make contact with half of the satellites and attempted to boost them into a higher orbit using the onboard ion thrusters. But because the bottom of their orbit is only 84 miles (135 kilometers) above Earth — less than half the intended altitude — “our maximum available thrust will likely be insufficient to successfully boost the satellites into orbit,” the company said via X.

SpaceX said the satellites would re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. There was no mention of when they might come down. More than 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit currently provide internet service to customers in some of the most remote corners of the world.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the problem must be fixed before Falcon rockets can fly again.

It is not known whether the accident could affect SpaceX’s upcoming crew flights. A billionaire’s spaceflight from Florida is scheduled for July 31, which will include the first private spacewalk, followed by an astronaut flight to the International Space Station for NASA in mid-August.

The technology entrepreneur who will lead the private flight, Jared Isaacman, said Friday that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has “an incredible track record” and also has an emergency rescue system.

The last failed launch occurred in 2015 during a cargo transport to the space station. The following year, another rocket exploded during tests on the ground.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk said the high flight rate will make it easier to identify and fix the problem.