In the early hours of Thursday, July 11, SpaceX experienced an uncommon setback with its Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Initially, the mission proceeded smoothly with a successful liftoff, stage separation, and the first stage’s recovery. However, a significant issue with the second stage has jeopardized the 20 Starlink satellites it was supposed to deploy into orbit.
Starlink Satellites in Trouble
Elon Musk, via his social media platform X, revealed that a problem arose during the re-ignition of the upper stage intended to raise the perigee, leading to a « Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly » (RUD) of the Mvac engine. In simpler terms, RUD refers to an unexpected and rapid disintegration, essentially an explosion. The perigee is the point in an object’s orbit closest to Earth.
While the Starlink satellites were deployed, they ended up in an orbit significantly lower than intended, posing a serious risk to their survival. The propulsion issue with the upper stage might be due to a propellant leak or a cooling system failure. During the live broadcast, an unusual ice formation was observed near the engine, hinting at potential underlying issues.
Pessimistic Rescue Attempts
A few hours later, SpaceX confirmed the mission’s failure, stating that the second stage did not complete its second ignition. This incident marks only the second problematic flight for the prolific Falcon 9 out of 69 launches this year.
Elon Musk later mentioned that an update was being applied to the satellites’ software to utilize their ion thrusters in an attempt to reach the desired altitude and compensate for atmospheric drag. However, Musk was not optimistic about the outcome, suggesting that « unlike an episode of Star Trek, this is probably not going to work, but it’s worth a try. » Consequently, it is likely that these satellites will meet their demise by burning up during atmospheric re-entry.
Conclusion
This rare failure of the Falcon 9 underscores the complexities and challenges of space missions, even for a company as experienced as SpaceX. While efforts are being made to save the stranded Starlink satellites, their future looks bleak, reminding us of the unpredictable nature of space exploration.
