A Falcon 9 booster was lost after landing on March 2, raising concerns about its reliability. The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 9:24 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, successfully launching 21 Starlink satellites. The booster landed on the droneship, Just Read the Instructions, about 8 minutes and 15 seconds post-launch. After the mission, SpaceX confirmed that the satellites were deployed without issue.
However, shortly after landing, an unexpected fire broke out at the rear of the booster, damaging one of its landing legs and causing it to tip over. SpaceX acknowledged the loss and stated that they would analyze the incident to enhance the Falcon 9’s reliability for future flights. Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX’s vice president of launch, remarked that every setback presents a chance to learn and improve.
This was only the fifth flight for this specific booster, designated B1086, which is relatively few compared to the record of 26 flights for other Falcon 9 boosters. Originally, B1086 was a side booster for a Falcon Heavy launch in June 2024. It was later converted for Falcon 9 missions and had previously helped launch Starlink satellites and other payloads.
The loss of B1086 adds to a list of recent Falcon 9 incidents. In August 2024, another booster crashed during a landing. There have also been issues with the rocket’s upper stages. In July 2024, one incident led to the loss of a Starlink payload, temporarily halting launches for two weeks.
In another case, deorbit burns failed on two Falcon 9 launches. One occurred during the Crew-9 mission in September 2024, resulting in a pause for further evaluations. Another incident saw debris from a reentering upper stage landing in Poland, though it did not stop subsequent launches.
SpaceX has been investigating a potential manufacturing flaw in the Merlin engine nozzle used in the Falcon 9’s upper stage. Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president for build and flight reliability, mentioned that while an issue was identified in one nozzle, further checks confirmed it was not widespread.
This focus on reliability is critical, especially as a NASA mission that would carry the SPHEREx astronomy spacecraft and four PUNCH satellites has been delayed. Originally set for February 27, the launch has been pushed to at least March 4 due to the need for further assessments of the Falcon 9’s hardware.
NASA planned a prelaunch briefing for March 3, but it was canceled without further details given, leaving the mission’s status uncertain for the time being.
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