SpaceX resumes flight operations after accident investigation

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Two weeks after a leak derailed the deployment of Starlink satellites, SpaceX resumed flight operations on Saturday, deploying nearly two dozen devices designed to expand broadband internet access around the world.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched at 1:45 a.m. local time from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch was, by all reports, successful, but space observers closely monitored the moments surrounding the payload deployment to determine whether the private space company would encounter similar problems as it did on its July 11 mission.

During the previous mission, launch cameras showed ice formation around an engine, which prevented the satellite from being successfully deployed into orbit.

No one was injured in the failed mission, but the incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch an investigation to ensure the safety of the Falcon 9 rocket.

The rocket has long been hailed as the workhorse of the industry and has completed hundreds of missions without incident.

SPACEX ADJUSTS SPACECRAFT LANDINGS TO PREVENT DEBRIS FROM FALLING OVER POPULAR AREAS

During the inspection, which lasted less than two weeks, SpaceX engineers discovered that a cable on a sensor had broken, which they said led to the failure.

“During the first burn of the Falcon 9 second stage engine, a liquid oxygen leak occurred in the insulation surrounding the upper stage engine,” SpaceX explained in its accident report to the FAA. “The cause of the leak was identified as a rupture in a sensor line for a pressure sensor connected to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line ruptured due to fatigue caused by the high stress from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally holds the line in place.”

The results were satisfactory enough for the government agency to authorize the private space company to resume flight operations, and less than 48 hours later, a Falcon 9 rocket was back in the air.

SpaceX reported no anomalies during the launch on Saturday, the 50th of the Starlink program year.

The company has approximately 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit that provide high-speed Internet access to customers with ground terminal receivers.

A standard service costs a residential customer about $120 a month, but the packages listed on the company’s website cost over $5,000.

The company has gained international recognition by donating terminals to victims in disaster areas, such as in Florida after Hurricane Ian and the floods in South America.

SPACEX FALCON-9 ROCKETS TRAPPED ON BEACH AFTER SPACE FAILURE

SpaceX has planned at least five additional rocket launches over the next two weeks to deploy more Starlink satellites.

The schedule is part of preparations for the possible launch of Crew-9 from Florida’s Space Coast in late August or early September.

At a recent NASA press conference, NASA officials said all systems are ready for the launch of a crew of three astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. The mission is expected to last six months.

The space agency has been closely monitoring the Falcon 9 rocket review but said no events have occurred that would require the Crew 9 mission to be postponed beyond the upcoming launch window.