Falcon 9 Operations Suspended After Booster Failure, Threatening Key SpaceX Missions and 2024 Launch Targets

3 months ago

Elon Musk has set an aggressive launch target for the Falcon 9 team in 2024: 144 missions, equating to 12 launches per month. As of the end of August, SpaceX has completed 83 launches, averaging approximately 10 launches per month.

In 2023, Musk aimed for 100 launches, with SpaceX achieving 96, an average of 8 per month.

However, a recent incident involving the Falcon 9 booster during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission resulted in a landing failure on the drone ship. Consequently, Falcon 9 operations are currently suspended pending an investigation by the FAA.

The Launch Pad: LANDING FAIL - SpaceX Falcon 9 B1062

Scott Manley has stabilized the critical moment:

Here we go, I fixed the framing so you can see what's going on more easily pic.twitter.com/7lKCdTy4a0
— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) August 28, 2024

This failure broke a streak of 267 consecutive successful landings by SpaceX. Notably, the booster involved in the incident was on its 23rd mission.

The duration of the suspension remains uncertain. Optimism exists that the grounding may be brief, given that the incident occurred during landing and considering Falcon 9's strong safety record. The FAA's relatively swift clearance of SpaceX’s Starship launches following significant failures could indicate a quicker resolution.

The suspension will delay the Polaris Dawn mission, with more significant concerns surrounding the Europa Clipper mission scheduled for October 10th, which has a critical 21-day launch window. Missing this window could delay the mission until 2025.

Additionally, the grounding may further complicate the situation with the Starliner spacecraft on the ISS.