(Bloomberg) -- US federal regulators are requiring an investigation into a mishap that occurred after the successful crewed launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday.
After sending two astronauts to orbit, the upper portion of the rocket came down to Earth outside of its targeted disposal area, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement on Monday. The agency, which issues launch licenses for SpaceX’s rockets, added that no public injuries or public property damage have been reported.
On Saturday, SpaceX launched a NASA astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station, part of a mission called Crew-9 that will ultimately return two astronauts stuck in orbit after flying to space on Boeing Co.’s glitchy space taxi.
After a successful launch, however, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket suffered an issue when trying to take itself out of orbit. The upper portion of the rocket plunged safely in the ocean but outside of its intended landing area, SpaceX said.
The company said it would be grounding its Falcon 9 rockets as it investigated the problem. The FAA didn’t clarify whether SpaceX could continue launching while the investigation was in process.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.