spacetoday.net: Falcon 9 grounded after upper stage deorbit anomaly

Posted: Sat, Oct 5, 2024, 9:55 AM ET (1355 GMT)
SpaceX has halted launches of its Falcon 9 rocket after an anomaly at the end of its most recent mission Sept. 28. SpaceX said that the upper stage "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn" that caused the stage to reenter outside of its designated zone in the South Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand. The company did not disclose additional details about the incident but said that it would resume launches only "after we better understand root cause." The FAA did not immediately comment on the incident and whether SpaceX will have to complete a mishap investigation before resuming launches. The incident comes as SpaceX prepares for two time-sensitive launches, of ESA's Hera asteroid mission and NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which must lift off by late October.