Cape Canaveral, United States - August 31, 2024

After a brief grounding due to a landing mishap, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been cleared for takeoff by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), resuming its busy launch schedule with back-to-back Starlink missions early Saturday morning.

The grounding came after a Falcon 9 first-stage booster experienced a rare failure, tipping over post-landing on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" following a Starlink satellite deployment mission earlier in the week. The incident led to an immediate suspension of Falcon 9 flights as the FAA mandated an investigation to ensure public safety was not compromised by any systemic issues.

However, by Friday evening, the FAA gave SpaceX the green light to resume launches. "The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations," an FAA statement read, indicating that while the investigation into the anomaly continues, SpaceX could proceed with its launches provided all other licensing requirements were satisfied.

SpaceX didn't waste any time. In the early hours of Saturday, the aerospace company launched two separate Starlink missions:

Starlink 8-10 Mission: Launched at 3:43 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, this mission saw 21 Starlink satellites deployed into low-Earth orbit. The seasoned first-stage booster, B1069, with 17 previous missions, successfully landed on the droneship "Just Read The Instructions" in the Atlantic.
Starlink 9-5 Mission: Following shortly after, at 4:48 a.m. ET, this mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Another set of 21 Starlink satellites were sent to join the growing constellation. Booster B1081, with eight missions to its name including the Crew-7, managed a successful landing on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean.

Both missions added a total of 42 satellites to SpaceX's Starlink network, aimed at providing global broadband internet coverage.

The swift return to flight underscores SpaceX's robust recovery processes and the FAA's confidence in SpaceX's corrective measures. Despite the incident, SpaceX continues to maintain a hectic launch cadence, pushing forward with its ambitious plans for space exploration and satellite internet services.

While the commercial missions are back on track, anticipation builds for the next crewed venture, the Polaris Dawn mission, which will launch from Florida. However, SpaceX has yet to announce a new date for this mission, keeping space enthusiasts and industry watchers eagerly waiting.