This image taken from video provided by SpaceX shows the upper stage engine of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launched from California on Thursday.
SpaceX/AP
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SpaceX/AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX rocket has suffered its first failure in nearly a decade, sending the company’s internet satellites into orbit so low they will fall through the atmosphere and burn up.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from California on Thursday night carrying 20 Starlink satellites. Minutes into the flight, the upper stage engine failed. SpaceX blamed a liquid oxygen leak on Friday.
The company said flight controllers made contact with half of the satellites and attempted to launch them into higher orbits using onboard ion thrusters. But with the low end of the orbit just 84 miles (135 kilometers) above Earth — less than half the intended range — “our maximum available thrust may not be sufficient to successfully launch the satellites,” the company said via X.
SpaceX said the satellites will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. There was no mention of when they might fall. The more than 6,000 Starlink satellites currently orbiting the Earth provide internet service to customers in some of the most remote places on Earth.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the problem must be fixed before the Falcon rocket can fly again.
It is not known whether the accident will affect SpaceX’s upcoming crewed flights. The billionaire’s spaceflight is scheduled for July 31 from Florida with plans to conduct the first private spacewalk, followed by a flight of astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA in mid-August.
The tech entrepreneur who will command the private flight, Jared Isaacman, said Friday that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has an “incredible track record” as well as an emergency escape system.
The most recent launch failure occurred in 2015 during a cargo mission to the space station. Another rocket exploded the following year during ground testing.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk says high flight speeds will make it easier to identify and fix problems.
