SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket can return to flight, FAA says

Well, that was quick.

SpaceX can resume flying its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced this evening (Aug. 30). The news comes just two days after a Falcon 9 first stage crashed while attempting to land after a successful launch of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites, spurring an investigation overseen by the FAA.

That investigation is ongoing, but the agency has un-grounded the Falcon 9 nonetheless.

“The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met,” FAA officials said in an emailed statement today. “SpaceX made the return-to-flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.”

Wednesday’s (Aug. 28) Starlink launch was a record breaker — the 23rd liftoff for that particular Falcon 9 first stage, one more than any other SpaceX booster.

The rocket hit its landing target — the deck of a SpaceX droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean — but could not stay upright. SpaceX’s launch livestream showed flames billowing from the booster’s base just after touchdown, followed by a topple.

That fall destroyed the rocket: SpaceX watchers recently captured imagery of the droneship with the booster’s wreckage strewn about its deck. 

Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky

The landing-failure investigation is the second FAA Falcon 9 inquiry in the past month and a half. The rocket returned to flight on July 26 after a two-week hiatus caused by an upper-stage failure that resulted in the loss of 23 Starlink satellites. 

The clearance to fly doubtless comes as a relief for the crew of Polaris Dawn, a four-person orbital mission that will feature the first-ever private spacewalk. Polaris Dawn had been scheduled to launch early this week, before Wednesday’s incident, but bad weather forecasts pushed the liftoff back. SpaceX has not yet announced a new target launch date for the historic five-day mission.