SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences Unusual Failure During Starlink Launch, Impacting Plans for Upcoming Missions

Vandenberg Space Force Base, California United States of America
SpaceX is reviewing data from the launch to understand the root cause of the failure.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket experienced a rare failure during the launch of Starlink internet satellites on July 12, 2024.
The failure occurred during the second stage of the rocket, deploying the satellites into a lower than intended orbit.
The uncrewed rocket was carrying twenty Starlink satellites, including thirteen with new 'direct to cell' capabilities.
This marked the first major in-flight mishap for the Falcon 9 vehicle in hundreds of launches.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences Unusual Failure During Starlink Launch, Impacting Plans for Upcoming Missions

SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded by Elon Musk, experienced a rare failure of its Falcon 9 rocket during the launch of Starlink internet satellites on July 12, 2024. The incident marked the first major in-flight mishap for the Falcon 9 vehicle in hundreds of launches.

The uncrewed rocket was carrying twenty Starlink satellites, including thirteen with new 'direct to cell' capabilities that enable connection to unmodified smartphones. However, due to the failure during the second stage of the rocket, these satellites were deployed into a lower than intended orbit.

This is significant because SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been a workhorse vehicle in both commercial and government launches as well as NASA's human spaceflight program. The failure occurred at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where the company has launched numerous Starlink satellites.

The exact nature of the issue with the rocket's upper stage is currently unknown. Elon Musk mentioned that some of the Starlink satellites were deployed but their orbit may be too low for them to raise it. More information regarding this matter would be known in a few hours.

SpaceX is reviewing data from the launch to understand the root cause of the failure and attempting to have five of these satellites raise their orbit using their ion thrusters. The malfunction may impact plans for Jared Isaacman and three crewmates' commercial flight atop a Falcon 9, as well as NASA's plans for a fresh crew to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Ice buildups on rockets are not unusual but the amount seen during Thursday's launch was much more significant than observed on earlier flights, indicating a problem of some sort.


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Confidence

70%

Doubts
  • What is the exact nature of the issue with the rocket's upper stage?

Sources

88%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage engine suffers catastrophic in-flight failure during Starlink launch

CBS News Site: https://www.cbsnews.com/articles/about-us/ William Harwood Friday, 12 July 2024 14:43
  • Unique Points
    • SpaceX Falcon 9 suffered a catastrophic failure during the second stage engine's attempt to carry out a final burn on July 12, 2024.
    • The root cause of the failure is currently unknown.
    • Five of the twenty Starlink satellites were deployed but their orbits may be too low for them to raise orbit.
    • Elon Musk referred to the anomaly as a ‘RUD’ (rapid unscheduled disassembly).
    • SpaceX is reviewing data to understand the root cause and attempting to have five of the Starlink satellites raise orbit using their ion thrusters.
    • The malfunction may impact plans for Jared Isaacman and three crewmates commercial flight atop a Falcon 9, as well as NASA’s plans for a fresh crew to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
    • Ice buildups on rockets are not unusual but the amount seen during Thursday’s launch was much more significant than observed on earlier flights, indicating a problem of some sort.
  • Accuracy
    • Despite the failure, all 20 Starlink satellites were deployed.
    • SpaceX provided an update stating that the second-stage engine did not complete its second burn.
  • Deception (50%)
    The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position of SpaceX experiencing a rocket failure. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the engine failure as a 'catastrophic in-flight failure' and 'an explosion'. Additionally, there is sensationalism with phrases like 'rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD)' and 'an unusual ice buildup just above the engine at right, and a large chunk of ice falling away at left that is seen at the moment the heat of the engine begins vaporizing it.' The author also implies facts without linking to peer-reviewed studies or retracted studies regarding any potential problems with SpaceX rockets.
    • But in keeping with SpaceX policy for Starlink launches, live video and commentary posted on the social media platform X ended after confirmation of second stage engine shutdown No. 1.
    • Going into Thursday’s flight, SpaceX had launched 6,720 Starlinks in 181 Falcon 9 flights, of which about 6,200 were presumed operational.
    • The engine apparently exploded, or came apart in some fashion, during a second planned burn.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

SpaceX Suffers Rare Failure With Launch of Starlink Satellites

Bloomberg News Now Loren Grush Friday, 12 July 2024 14:43
  • Unique Points
    • SpaceX experienced a failure of its Falcon 9 rocket in space on Thursday.
    • The incident marked the first major in-flight mishap for the Falcon 9 vehicle in hundreds of launches.
    • 13 of these satellites have new ‘direct to cell’ capabilities that enable connection to unmodified smartphones.
  • Accuracy
    • Despite the failure, all 20 Starlink satellites were deployed, but into the wrong orbit according to SpaceX.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

93%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket suffers catastrophic anomaly during Starlink satellite launch (video)

Space.com Mike Wall Friday, 12 July 2024 05:45
  • Unique Points
    • SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket experienced a rare anomaly on July 11, during the launch of Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
    • The exact nature of the issue with the rocket’s upper stage is currently unknown.
    • Elon Musk mentioned that Starlink satellites were deployed but their orbit may be too low for them to raise it, more information would be known in a few hours.
  • Accuracy
    • The exact nature of the issue is currently unknown.
    • Five of the twenty Starlink satellites were deployed but their orbits may be too low for them to raise orbit.
    • Despite the failure, all 20 Starlink satellites were deployed, but into the wrong orbit according to SpaceX.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (75%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority and a potential overstatement of the reliability of the Falcon 9 rocket. The author highlights that the Falcon 9 is 'known for its reliability' and has only suffered one full in-flight failure in its history. This could be seen as an appeal to authority, as it suggests that previous successes make the current anomaly unusual or unexpected. Additionally, the author states that 'the Falcon 9 has launched 13 crewed missions to date', which may overstate its safety record since it does not clarify how many of those missions had crew on board. There are no formal fallacies detected in the text, and no dichotomous depictions or inflammatory rhetoric. As such, the score is reduced from a maximum 100 to 75.
    • The Falcon 9 is 'known for its reliability' and has only suffered one full in-flight failure in its history.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

96%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

SpaceX rocket fails during routine mission

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Jackie Wattles Friday, 12 July 2024 12:28
  • Unique Points
    • This is the first time a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has failed in nearly a decade.
    • The failure occurred during the second stage of the rocket, which did not complete its second burn, resulting in satellites being deployed into a lower than intended orbit.
  • Accuracy
    • Elon Musk described the second stage failure as a ‘RUD’ or ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’
    • SpaceX is attempting to raise the orbit of five of the 20 deployed satellites, using ion thrusters at their highest power setting.
    • The Starlink satellites launched on Thursday may be too near Earth to remain in orbit for long.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication