SpaceX Suspends Falcon 9 Launches Again After Third Anomaly In Two Months

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SpaceX has suspended its Falcon 9 launches to investigate a problem that popped up with the rocket's second stage after yesterday's Crew 9 launch for NASA. The Falcon 9 took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station yesterday with a crew for the first time, with its second mission where two astronauts piloted the Crew Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX shared on X earlier that while the Falcon 9 second stage for the Crew 9 mission was disposed of in the ocean as per its plan, an anomaly on the rocket meant that it missed its designated landing area. As a result, the firm is suspending its launches as it investigates the anomaly.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Suffers From Third Anomaly In Two Months

SpaceX launched the Crew 9 mission yesterday after a small delay due to weather constraints in Florida. The mission was the first time that the firm launched a NASA crew from the Cape Canaveral Space Force station, and during a media talk, SpaceX's Bill Gerstenmaier shared that using the Cape for a crewed launch helps the firm maintain a rapid launch cadence. This cadence enabled an upcoming launch of the Europa Clipper mission, a satellite being sent to Jupiter's icy moon Europa.

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However, as of now, it appears that the Clipper mission might be delayed. In an update on X, SpaceX shared that the Falcon 9's second stage "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn" as it was reentring the Earth after the mission. A deorbit burn reduces the rocket's altitude to allow gravity to safely bring it back to Earth. SpaceX added that while the Falcon 9 second stage was able to successfully splash down in the ocean, it landed "outside of the targeted area."

Ahead of yesterday's launch, NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich had shared that his agency