FAA Clears SpaceX Falcon 9 for Launch Following Investigation into Upper Stage Anomaly
According to the Economic Desk of Webangah News Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday, February 6, authorized the return to flight for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, concluding a four-day hiatus mandated after an anomaly with the rocket’s upper stage. This regulatory action allows SpaceX and NASA to proceed with preparations for the upcoming Crew-12 crewed mission.
The next launch, designated Crew-12, is currently slated for Wednesday, February 11, at 6:01 AM Eastern Time, launching from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission will transport four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for an extended stay of nearly nine months.
The issue that prompted the grounding occurred on Monday, February 2, during the launch of 25 Starlink broadband satellites from California. While the rocket’s upper stage successfully placed the spacecraft into low Earth orbit as planned, it failed to execute the predetermined post-orbital engine burn, leading to the uncontrolled descent of the booster body.
This incident marked the fourth time in the past 19 months that the Falcon 9 upper stage experienced an issue. While one previous event did not require a formal investigation, two others necessitated reviews, resulting in Falcon 9 being grounded for up to two weeks on those occasions.
The most recent review concluded rapidly. The FAA confirmed on Friday in a public statement that it monitored and accepted the findings of the investigation led by SpaceX. The final accident report cited an unlikely failure of the Falcon 9’s second-stage engine to ignite prior to deorbit as the probable root cause. SpaceX reportedly specified both technical and organizational preventative measures to mitigate recurrence, and the Falcon 9 is now permitted to resume flight operations.
The Crew-12 mission roster includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, along with NASA astronaut Andrey Fedyaev and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. They are scheduled for approximately nine months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Provided all timelines remain accurate, the astronauts will launch Wednesday morning aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, riding in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named ‘Freedom’ toward the ISS. The arrival of these four crew members will restore the ISS complement to its standard capacity of seven astronauts.
Since the return of the Crew-11 mission on January 15, the station has been operated by a reduced crew of only three—one American and two Russian cosmonauts. The Crew-11 astronauts departed a month earlier than scheduled due to a medical issue aboard the ISS. NASA has not disclosed the identity or nature of the medical problem concerning the affected crew member, citing privacy concerns.
