SpaceX Rocket Explodes In “Catastrophic Failure”

July 12, 2024 Business, Technology

SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink internet satellites from California Thursday, but the engine powering the rocket’s second stage suffered a catastrophic failure, if not an explosion, during an attempt to carry out a final “burn” to raise the low point of the orbit, company founder Elon Musk posted early Friday on X.

Musk referred to the anomaly as a “RUD,” a tongue-in-cheek acronym that stands for “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

“Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown,” he said on X. “Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause. Starlink satellites were deployed, but the perigee (orbital low point) may be too low for them to raise orbit. Will know more in a few hours.”

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SpaceX suffered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015, leaving 20 Starlink satellites in a perilously low orbit. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said it was unclear if the satellites could be saved using onboard ion thrusters: https://t.co/VMlvJPa7HL pic.twitter.com/6FevqK9ws0

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) July 12, 2024