On November 29th, SpaceX Falcon 9 launch experienced a rare failure! FAA orders grounding for investigation

Media reports that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded after a rare flight mishap and is awaiting the results of an accident investigation.

The mission, named "Starlink Group 9-3," was launched on Thursday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, carrying 20 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit.

The rocket's first-stage booster operated as expected and successfully landed, but the second stage failed to reignite as planned, leading to its destruction.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later confirmed this news on social media.

"To raise the apogee, the second stage re-ignition resulted in a rapid unscheduled disassembly of the engine, the cause of which is still unknown," Musk stated.

According to the media, Falcon 9 will remain grounded until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) signs SpaceX's accident investigation report. The FAA stated in a release, "FAA will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX's final report, including any corrective actions."

SpaceX has been launching Starlink satellites at a rate of every two to three days this year, with this Starlink mission being the 69th launch of the year. However, this investigation may delay future launch plans for the next few weeks, including two crewed missions: the private Polaris Dawn mission and NASA's Crew-9 mission.

Despite the failed launch, SpaceX still deployed the 20 Starlink satellites, noting that due to the second-stage engine failure, these satellites are in a "lower than expected orbit." As of Friday morning, the company reported that they have established contact with five of the satellites and are attempting to use the satellites' thrusters to raise their orbit to avoid burning up in the atmosphere.

"We are updating the satellite software to operate the ion thrusters at a very high speed," Musk wrote, adding, "This may not work, but it's worth a try."

Nevertheless, Falcon 9 has achieved unparalleled success in the past decade, with over 300 consecutive successful orbital launches since the last flight mishap in June 2015 during NASA's CRS-7 cargo mission. Overall, Falcon 9 has conducted 354 orbital launches, with over 300 successful landings and the rocket boosters being reused over 280 times.

Furthermore, the company recently completed the fourth test flight of its giant Starship rocket, achieving its intended goal. Unlike the third test flight where the Starship disintegrated upon re-entry, this time it successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Prior to the fourth test flight, there were reports that SpaceX's valuation may have reached around $200 billion. Although there were rumors of internal discussions at SpaceX about allowing insiders such as employees and investors to sell shares, Musk later clarified on social media that SpaceX does not need additional capital Just provide liquidity financing for employees and investors about every 6 months.

In the most recent public tender at the end of last year, SpaceX was valued at approximately $180 billion. If SpaceX sells shares at a valuation of $200 billion, it will be on par with the world's largest listed companies, such as chip giant Qualcomm (currently valued at $226 billion)