SpaceX Launch Succeeds; First Stage Lost

SpaceX planned to launch two rockets with internet satellite payloads this morning from sites in Florida and California. The California launch was postponed after the first stage from the Florida launch broke apart on landing on a SpaceX droneship several hundred miles northeast of the Cape Canaveral launch site. But the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket successfully transported the 21 satellites into orbit.

The landing mishap was the first unsuccessful booster landing in 267 tries, ending a string of successful recoveries dating back to February 2021. The landing attempt was a record 23^rd for this particular first stage. SpaceX hopes to certify its Falcon 9 first stages for as many as 40 flights each.

On X, SpaceX reported: “After a successful ascent, Falcon 9’s first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Teams are assessing the booster’s flight data and status.” CBS News reported that the landing appeared normal until “more flames than usual were visible around the base of the rocket as it neared the deck.” Upon touchdown, a landing leg collapsed and the booster toppled from the barge, “obscured by fire and smoke.”

Following the standdown yesterday of the piloted Polaris launch, SpaceX also called off the California launch Scheduled for 5:58 am EDT (2:58 am PDT), reportedly so engineers would have time to review telemetry and video from the unsuccessful landing of the Florida launch’s first stage. SpaceX wrote on X, "Standing down from our second @Starlink launch of the night to give the team time to review booster landing data from the previous launch. A new target launch date will be shared once available."