A SpaceX rocket The rocket crashed while landing on Wednesday, forcing the aerospace company to postpone a launch scheduled for later in the day. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all Falcon 9 rockets until it completes an investigation into the accident, Report on Futurism. That upset SpaceX. plans to conduct the first private spacewalkBut it could also delay a planned February mission to rescue two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station.
SpaceX had originally planned to conduct the spacewalk in April, but it was postponed until August 26. The discovery of a helium leak and subsequent bad weather pushed the launch date back even further. Now, it’s unclear when the mission, called Polaris Dawn, will take place. Back in July, when the Falcon 9 suffered an engine failure, it was repaired and ready to go in about two weeks, so SpaceX will likely be able to figure out the problem fairly quickly.
In response to the news, Jason Isaacman, the billionaire in charge of the Polaris Dawn mission, tweeted“We’re just focused on the weather recovering at this point. I think that’s still our gateway to launch.” So it doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about the delay, but then again, would Elon Musk allow anyone at one of his companies to be worried about anything?
But if the investigation drags on, it could be a problem not just for Polaris Dawn, but also for the two astronauts currently stuck on the ISS after Boeing damaged their Starliner rocket bed. SpaceX isn’t planning on flying that rescue mission until February, so there’s still time, but if they can’t get the Falcon 9 approved for use quickly, they could find themselves stuck there for even longer.
“The loss of B1062 is a poignant reminder of the challenges associated with space travel and the pioneering nature of SpaceX’s missions,” SpaceX said in a statement. “As the company continues to push the boundaries of rocket reusability, each failure provides valuable insights that drive further innovation.”
