FAA clears SpaceX Falcon 9 to resume flight operations

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 spacecraft can return to flight, while the overall investigation into an anomaly that occurred during a recent Starlink mission remains open.

SpaceX submitted an application to return to flight for the work vehicle on Thursday, and the FAA granted approval on Friday. The agency said flights can resume “subject to all other licensing requirements being met.”

The FAA on Wednesday grounded the Falcon 9 after it failed to land on Earth during a routine Starlink mission, forcing the company’s second grounding this year.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit early Wednesday morning from Florida. The rocket’s reusable first stage returned to Earth and, as usual, attempted to land on an offshore barge, but capsized in the ocean after a fiery landing.

Falcon 9 groundings are relatively rare

The grounding of the Falcon 9, the rocket that much of the Western world relies on to put satellites and people in space, is rare. The rocket was grounded in July for the first time since 2016, after a second-stage failure in space doomed a batch of Starlink satellites.

After being grounded in July, SpaceX returned the Falcon 9 to flight 15 days later after the FAA granted the company’s request for a faster return to flight.

In late September, Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch two NASA astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will next year take back to Earth two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after flying on Boeing’s damaged Starliner spacecraft.

Since its first launch in 2010, SpaceX has built a significant fleet of reusable Falcon rockets, allowing it to far outpace its rivals in launch frequency.

Another Starlink mission was scheduled to launch shortly after Wednesday’s flight from another SpaceX launcher in Southern California, but the company canceled that mission after the failed landing.