SpaceX said that it identified and fixed the problem that caused a failure in its Falcon 9 rocket in a launch earlier this month.
In a statement Thursday (July 25), the company said that a liquid oxygen leak failed to put the company's Starlink satellites to its intended altitude in low Earth orbit after it launched on July 11, forcing it to allow the satellites to burn up in the atmosphere. This also meant that SpaceX's Falcon 9 fleet was grounded until further notice.
However, Thursday's statement explained that the company already submitted its mishap report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and is looking to return to flight as early as July 27.
SpaceX Identifies Cause of Oxygen Leak
Space.com reported that the Falcon 9 second stage in question had a "crack in a sense line" for a pressure sensor attached to the rocket's oxygen system, which cracked due to a "fatigue" caused by "high loading from engine vibration," as well as a loose clamp that constrained the line.
It is understood that the second stage was able to complete its first burn but failed to do so in the second, which resulted in an elliptical and other-than-nominal orbit for deploying the Starlink satellites.
Join the Conversation