SpaceX Rescue Mission Suffers a Minor Setback as Falcon 9’s Second Stage Malfunctions

• SpaceX arranged a rescue mission to bring back the two stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station.
• However, while returning, the Falcon 9's second stage suffered a minor issue and landed outside the planned zone (in the ocean).
• The cause for this deviation is being investigated and until then, all other launches are postponed.

SpaceX's attempt to rescue the two astronauts stranded in space met with an unfortunate obstacle. The company had to ground the space vehicle selected for the mission -the Falcon 9 - after it malfunctioned during the launch.

As per a post on X by SpaceX, the first half of the mission was successful. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida on Saturday and delivered a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS.

As planned, the Falcon 9' second stage was headed towards the ocean for safe disposal. And while it did reach the ocean, it experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn and fell outside the planned zone. This is a matter of serious concern and is now being investigated.

Another Falcon 9 launch was supposed to take place on Sunday. But until this issue is fixed, no other launches will be made.

A Little Background of the Mission

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than 2 months now. They were selected to fly aboard Boeing Starliner, becoming the first persons to ever ride on it.

The purpose of this trip was to check whether the Boeing space vehicle is fit for space missions. But as it turns out, it isn't.

The vehicle's propulsion system is malfunctioning. Without that, they will not get enough thrust to back away from the space station and position themselves toward the Earth. After multiple attempts to make it work, the system started leaking helium.

Taking the journey back to Earth under these circumstances would be highly unsafe. Hence, it was decided that the Boeing vehicle would return on its own while a SpaceX rocket would bring back the astronauts.

SpaceX was already sending a rocket to the ISS had a 4-crew team. But after the rescue mission was announced, it was reduced to two (NASA's Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency's Alexander Gorbunov), leaving two extra seats for Williams and Wilmore.

The entire team of 4 is now set to come back to Earth in February next year, turning William and Wilmore's one-week trip into an 8-month mission.

What Happens Now?

Well, the good news is that the Crew Dragon has already reached the ISS. Williams welcomed them.

As for SpaceX, there's a lot going on. This latest Falcon 9 launch was the 90th this year. Overall, SpaceX has already completed 96 orbital launches this year. But for now, most of its launches are put on hold.

• The Falcon 9's has been put on hold because of a technical issue.
• The next-generation Starship rocket (the biggest rocket ever built) is also on hold because of additional safety checks.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that SpaceX has changed the mission profile for Starship.

SpaceX's current license authorizing the Starship Flight 4 launch also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile. SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch which triggered a more in-depth review." - SpaceX spokesperson

In addition to that, the company also submitted new information in August that revealed that the environmental impact of Flight 5 will be on a larger area than previously estimated.

So before approving it, the FAA will have to consult with other agencies and ensure that it meets all the safety guidelines.

The post SpaceX Rescue Mission Suffers a Minor Setback as Falcon 9's Second Stage Malfunctions appeared first on The Tech Report.