SpaceX comments on rare booster loss after Starlink launch

Update: paragraph 10 updated for accuracy

SpaceX is working “ASAP” to see what went wrong during the booster landing that failed, a rare occurrence, after a successful Starlink launch earlier this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX launches as a result of the anomaly, which caused a lost in a booster.

SpaceX Vice President Jon Edwards said the company is working to find out what happened that caused the loss so it can fix the problem and reinitiate launches (via AP):

“Losing a booster is always sad. Each one of them has a unique history and character. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often.”

Edwards also said SpaceX is working to understand what happened “ASAP.”

CEO Elon Musk also commented on the loss the day after the loss:

“Now we figure out what went wrong to drive the landing failure rate far above 1 in a thousand, then 1 in 10 thousand … 1 in a milion, etc.”

The FAA released a statement on Wednesday that seemed to indicate SpaceX would be grounded until the anomaly was investigated:

“The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 8-6 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 28. The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation.”

This put a delay on the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission that will also include the first-ever civilian spacewalk.

FAA may have just pushed back SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission after Falcon 9 mishap

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