VIDEO: SpaceX Falcon 9 booster catches fire after landing accident following launch from Florida

The booster for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket flipped over and caught fire while landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean after a launch from Florida early Wednesday.

The rocket lifted off at 3:48 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, deploying 21 Starlink satellites — 13 of which have Direct to Cell capabilities — into low Earth orbit.

However, after launch, “the Falcon 9 first stage booster flipped after landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship,” SpaceX said in an update on X.

Teams are currently reviewing flight data and the condition of the thruster.

This mission marked the 23rd flight of the first stage booster, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8 and now 16 Starlink missions.

SpaceX had planned a second launch of Starlink satellites Wednesday night, but decided to cancel it to give its team time to review the thruster landing data. No new launch date was immediately announced.

FAA Grounds SpaceX, Investigates Falcon 9 Booster Accident

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the following statement regarding the incident:

“The FAA is aware that an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 8-6 mission launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 28. The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a drone ship at sea. No public injuries or property damage were reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation.

Background
 
An investigation aims to further improve public safety, determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions to prevent it from happening again.
 
The FAA will be involved at every stage of the investigation process and will be required to approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions. Resumption of Falcon 9 booster flights is conditioned on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety. In addition, SpaceX may be required to seek and receive FAA approval to amend its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meets all other licensing requirements.