SpaceX's Falcon 9 engine failure jeopardizes Starlink mission

During SpaceX's latest routine mission, the second-stage engine of the Falcon 9 rocket malfunctioned, disrupting plans to place Starlink satellites into orbit.

During SpaceX's mission, the second-stage engine of the Falcon 9 rocket unexpectedly malfunctioned. According to Reuters, as a result of this incident, the Starlink satellites, which were supposed to be placed at a certain altitude, ended up at a lower position than originally planned. The agency reports this is the first such fault in the launch vehicle in over seven years.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from the United States Space Force base in Vandenberg, California, on Thursday at 19:35 local time, which is 03:35 GMT. The mission's main goal was to place 20 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

The initial stages of the mission proceeded smoothly, including the rocket launch and the separation of its various parts. The lower segment of the rocket returned to Earth without any issues. However, the second-stage engine, which was supposed to transport 20 satellites, malfunctioned during an attempt to restart the engine.

Despite the problems, all the satellites were placed into orbit, though their position was lower than initially planned.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, informed that mission controllers are attempting to raise the orbit height of the Starlink satellites. Nevertheless, the chances of success are slim. "Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it's worth a shot," he stated. So far, contact has been established with five of the 20 satellites.

Specialists predict the malfunction could impact further plans related to the Falcon 9 rocket, including the commercial flight scheduled for the end of the month, which will involve four people.

The Falcon 9 rocket is one of the most reliable space vehicles in the world. Thursday's launch was the 354th flight since the rocket debuted in 2010 and the 69th this year.