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topicnews · August 28, 2024

Watch the Falcon 9 rocket tip over after landing

Watch the Falcon 9 rocket tip over after landing

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A successful SpaceX launch early Wednesday morning ended in flames a few minutes later when the carrier rocket tipped over in the Atlantic Ocean after landing on the drone ship.

SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 with 21 Starlink satellites at 3:48 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX had originally planned to launch four Polaris Dawn crew members aboard a Falcon 9 at 3:38 a.m. Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The crews canceled the launch attempts for Wednesday and Thursday because bad weather was forecast for the Dragon capsule’s splashdown area off the coast of Florida.

➤ Tropical observation, August 28: NHC is tracking two tropical disturbances, including one far east off the coast of Florida

Here’s what we know so far:

What was the SpaceX launch early Wednesday?

The rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites – including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities – into low Earth orbit.

“The @Starlink Direct to Cell constellation is growing again! As service continues to improve, we are accelerating our efforts to offer commercial service to U.S. customers with @TMobile this fall!” said Sara Spangelo, senior director of satellite engineering at SpaceX, in a tweet about the Aug. 10 launch of Starlink 8-3 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Lifted off! SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites

The Falcon 9 with the 21 Starlink satellites launched at 3:48 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After stage separation, crews expected the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 22 seconds after launch.

SpaceX booster lands on drone ship, tips over and catches fire

At 3:58 a.m., the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on its 23rd mission appeared to collapse in heavy flames after landing in the Atlantic Ocean aboard SpaceX’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas.”

In a tweet, SpaceX representatives confirmed that the launch vehicle had indeed tipped over.

“After a successful ascent, the Falcon 9 first stage tumbled after landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Teams are reviewing flight data and booster status. This was the 23rd booster launch,” the tweet said.

The booster previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8 and 15 Starlink missions.

“RIP B1062”: Social media reactions to SpaceX rocket attack on drone ship

Space news, launch schedule

For the latest news and launch schedules from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

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