U.S. FAA requires investigation into SpaceX Falcon 9 landing failure

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that it was requiring an investigation into the failure of the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea.
Falcon 9 launched 21 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on Wednesday morning from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida.
After a successful ascent, Falcon 9’s first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, said SpaceX.
Teams are assessing the booster’s flight data and status, SpaceX added. This was the 23rd flight for the first-stage booster.
The FAA said it was aware of an anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starlink mission. The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported.
SpaceX canceled another Starlink mission which was scheduled later Wednesday. The company is slated to launch a mission called Polaris Dawn as soon as this week, sending a four-person crew to space. It is unclear how long the Falcon 9 will remain grounded. ■