Possible consequences for ISS crew: SpaceX's Falcon 9 must remain on the ground

SpaceX has initiated an internal investigation after a problem during the latest launch of its Falcon 9 rocket and has postponed further flights for now. The US space company owned by Elon Musk announced this on the microblogging service X. It states that several Starlink satellites were brought into space as planned during the launch. However, the second stage then suffered a “disturbance,” causing it not to burn up in the atmosphere as planned. The cause is now being sought, “before flight operations are resumed.” It is unclear, in particular, whether this will have an impact on the planned launch of the next ISS crew, which is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Forced break for the workhorse

The Falcon 9 is SpaceX's workhorse, and it is still primarily responsible for bringing the numerous Starlink satellites into space. The issues occurred on Monday after the 14th launch this year, which took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Until the launch of Crew-12 to the ISS, four more Falcon 9 flights were scheduled. Depending on how long the flight pause lasts, the flights will have to be rescheduled for a later date. According to the US magazine Space, NASA has already stated that the investigations, which SpaceX is conducting together with the flight regulator FAA, will be closely monitored before the ISS flight.

The Falcon 9 has been in operation since 2010. In 2015, a stage landed for the first time after launch, and since then, more than 600 launches have been added. The rocket is also extremely reliable; a issue last occurred in early March 2025. At that time, SpaceX stopped all further launches for a week before resuming. The second stage, which did not return to Earth as planned on Monday, nevertheless jettisoned its remaining propellant and entered an orbit that quickly brought it back to Earth. On Wednesday night, satellite expert Jonathan McDowell announced that the rocket stage had crashed.

(mho)