SpaceX Falcon 9 cleared to launch by FAA; next launch: Starlink overnight
It was a short grounding. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday cleared SpaceX to launch while the investigation into Wednesday morning's booster landing mishap continues.
SpaceX is set to jump right back into the launch routine with a Starlink launch in the early hours of Saturday from Space Launch Complex 40.
"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. SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30," said the FAA statement provided to FLORIDA TODAY.
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That gave SpaceX the green light to go ahead and launch the Falcon 9 ? which carries Starlink, other payloads, and Crew Dragons.
When is the next SpaceX launch?
SpaceX has confirmed they are targeting a liftoff at 3:43 a.m. EDT.
Even though the Falcon 9 is cleared to fly that doesn't mean the much anticipated Polaris Dawn mission will get to launch. That mission remains dependent on a good weather forecast not only for launch but for the crew's return roughly five days later.
Since Polaris Dawn is not docking with the space station, the crew is entirely reliant on the resources they have in the Dragon, which means they have to make sure it will be safe to return during a set time period. If weather conditions are poor, it can provide challenging and dangerous conditions to the crew and SpaceX recovery teams who meet them at the splashdown site.
The weather outlook has not been encouraging for the next few days.
Why is the SpaceX Falcon 9 under investigation?
The whole reason for the investigation was due to the fact that following a Wednesday morning Starlink launch, the first stage booster caught fire and tipped over upon landing on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. The droneship, A Shortfall of Gravitas, arrived at Cape Canaveral with the remains of the booster on Friday afternoon. SpaceX workers were observed quickly moving the debris off the ship.
This week's booster mishap was enough to spark the FAA investigation, its second into SpaceX in two months. Falcon 9 had just returned to flight on July 27 after an investigation into an upper-stage mishap following a California launch.
This is a developing story. Follow FLORIDA TODAY Space Team for the latest updates.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launches return: SpaceX Falcon 9 cleared to launch after mishap
