SpaceX’s Falcon 9 cleared for return to flight by FAA after July 11 mid-flight failure

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 won approval from US air safety regulators to return to space following a mid-flight failure on July 11 that grounded the world’s most-frequently-launched rocket.

“After a comprehensive review, the FAA determined no public safety issues were involved in the anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX launch on July 11,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Thursday. “This public safety determination means the Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.”

SpaceX said it is ready to return to flight as soon as Saturday, July 27.

The uncrewed rocket was carrying 20 of the company’s Starlink internet satellites when it malfunctioned, leaving them in the wrong orbit. It was the first major in-flight incident in more than 300 launches of the workhorse vehicle.

SpaceX engineers were able to determine the root cause of the issue mere hours after the botched flight, Bloomberg has reported.

During the first burn of Falcon 9’s second-stage engine, a liquid oxygen leak developed within the insulation around the upper-stage engine, SpaceX said in a statement Thursday. The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system.

The company, led by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, aims to launch as many as 148 flights this year with its Falcon rocket family. SpaceX rockets have already taken to the skies dozens of times this year, not including tests of its new Starship rocket.

At the end of July, SpaceX has plans to launch a crew of four private astronauts — including billionaire Jared Isaacman — on a mission to perform the first commercial spacewalk with SpaceX’s new spacesuits. The company also has its next crewed launch for NASA coming up in August, called Crew-9, which will send four astronauts to the International Space Station.