SpaceX Falcon 9 engine failure disrupts Starlink satellite mission

During the mission, an unexpected malfunction occurred in the second stage engine of the Falcon 9 rocket. According to Reuters, due to this incident, the Starlink satellites, which were supposed to be placed at a certain altitude, ended up lower than originally planned. The agency reports that this is the first failure of this kind in a launch vehicle in over seven years.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from the launch pad at the United States Space Force base in Vandenberg, California, on Thursday at 10:35 PM local time, which is 1:35 AM ET. 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 problems. However, the second-stage engine, which was supposed to transport the 20 satellites, malfunctioned during an attempt to restart the engine.

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

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

Experts predict that the malfunction may impact plans involving the Falcon 9 rocket, including the commercial flight scheduled for the end of the month, which will include 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.