SpaceX’s Workhorse Rocket Is Grounded After Failure in Orbit
- FAA to investigate following rare engine issue with Falcon 9
- Satellites were deployed incorrectly on uncrewed mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
SpaceX suffered a rare failure of its Falcon 9 rocket in space, marking the first major in-flight mishap in more than 300 launches of the workhorse vehicle.
The late-Thursday incident, which is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, is likely to have a ripple effect on the Elon Musk-led company’s rapid launch cadence moving forward, depending on how long it takes SpaceX to identify and fix the issue.