The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to return to space after it was grounded due to a rare mid-flight failure, the agency announced on Thursday.
The FAA stated that it found no public safety risks in the anomaly that occurred during the failed July 11 launch, and the rocket can resume flight operations while the overall investigation is ongoing.
SpaceX stated in a post on X that it was ready to launch the rocket as soon as Saturday, July 27.
The world’s most popular rocket, the Falcon 9, was grounded after one broke apart in space, destroying its payload of Starlink satellites, the first failure of a rocket relied on by the global space industry in more than seven years.
SpaceX stated on Thursday that a liquid oxygen leak caused excessive cooling of one of its engine components, resulting in hardware damage.
“A crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor” was identified as the cause of the leak, and the failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine would be removed for future flights, SpaceX stated.
The Falcon 9 is the only US rocket capable of transporting NASA personnel to the International Space Station. NASA plans to fly its next human mission in August, with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon crew capsule launching atop the rocket.
