SpaceX Falcon 9 returns to action with three successful back-to-back Starlink missions; states reason for past mission failure
(July 30, 2024) This week, the Falcon 9 rocket conducted three, all successful, back-to-back, return-to-flight missions after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) re-approved its license to return to flight since the failure that occurred last July 11, 2024, on the Starlink Group 9-3 mission. One of the missions launched on July 27, 2024, while the other two launched on July 28, 2024, and the two launches were approximately 4 hours apart each launch. Let's talk about the outcomes of these return missions and what SpaceX found out in their investigation.
[CC: SpaceX's “tweets” on X (Twitter) on the mission outcome]
The first mission, Starlink Group 10-9 launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This one launched on July 27, 2024, at 1:45 AM Eastern Time. Falcon 9 carried 23 Starlink v2-mini-satellites to low-Earth orbit. The first stage, B1069, landed for the 17th time on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship. The mission successfully deployed all satellites in its intended orbit.
[CC: SpaceX's “tweets” on X (Twitter) on the mission outcome]
The second mission, Starlink Group 10-4 launched from Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This one launched on July 28, 2024, at 1:09 AM Eastern Time. Falcon 9 carried Starlink v2-mini-satellites to low-Earth orbit. The first stage, B1077, landed for the 14th time on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship. The mission successfully deployed all satellites in its intended orbit.
[CC: SpaceX's “tweets” on X (Twitter) on the mission outcome]
The third mission, Starlink Group 9-4 launched from Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This one launched on July 28, 2024. Falcon 9 carried 21 Starlink satellites, 13 of which are made for Direct-to-Cell capabilities and 8 of which are Starlink v2-mini to low-Earth orbit. The first stage, B1071, landed for the 17th time on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship. The mission successfully deployed all satellites in its intended orbit.
To conclude, all three return-to-flight missions successfully launched the rockets, landed their boosters, and deployed their satellites to their intended orbits.
- Investigation Results:
[CC: SpaceX's “tweets” on X (Twitter) on the results of their investigation]
Before the return to flight missions, SpaceX also announced the cause of failure on the Starlink Group 9-3 mission that occurred last July 11, 2024. According to them, Falcon 9's first stage booster performed nominally from launch till landing. The problem with this flight was primarily focused on the second stage, where a liquid oxygen leak developed within the insulation of the second stage. A sense line that was cracked due to fatigue was the cause of the leak.
However, according to SpaceX, the failed sensor that caused the failure in this flight will be removed in the next missions as alternate sensors are present on the engine already, which should fix the problem that occurred during this mission. The success is already proven by the three return-to-flight missions that were talked about earlier in this article.
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This is KYNNMASTER 123 for The Weekly Spaceman, see you in the next one! 😊
Resources and credits (photo credits are below each photo used):
(All posts are found on @SpaceX “X/Twitter” account): https://x.com/SpaceX
