--- title: "The FAA Grounds SpaceX’s Rockets for a Third Time After Mysterious Anomaly" description: "The US Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets for the third time in just three months." date: "2024-10-01" modified: "2024-10-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/faa-grounds-spacex-rockets-third-time" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "elon musk" - "FAA" - "falcon 9" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # The FAA Grounds SpaceX’s Rockets for a Third Time After Mysterious Anomaly ![The US Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets for the third time in just three months.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Off Target The US Federal Aviation Administration has [grounded]() all of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets for the third time in just three months. An upper stage [encountered a mysterious problem]() after dropping off two astronauts at the International Space Station over the weekend as part of its Crew-9 mission. According to a [statement]() posted by SpaceX, the rocket "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn," causing it to splash down in the Pacific Ocean [just east of New Zealand](), which was "outside of the targeted area" approved by the FAA. Even before the FAA announced that it had launched its own investigation, SpaceX had already made the decision to halt all future launches. "We will resume launching after we better understand root cause," the Elon Musk-led company wrote in its statement. ## Falcon Misfortune It's the third time since July that the FAA has grounded all Falcon 9 launches. "The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX NASA Crew-9 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on September 28," the regulator noted in a [statement](). "The incident involved the Falcon 9 second stage landing outside of the designated hazard area," the statement reads. "No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation." In July, a Falcon 9 rocket [exploded]() after launching a batch of Starlink internet satellites, leading to the FAA grounding the rockets for several weeks. Then in August, the regulator grounded them once more after a Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which unlike the upper stage is reusable, [caught fire and toppled over]() while attempting to land on a floating barge. It's unclear how long the FAA's latest investigation will take or whether the space company will have to take any corrective actions. The next Falcon 9 launch is tentatively slated for just nine days from now to [launch NASA's massive Europa Clipper probe](). But given the current animosities between the two — just last week, Musk [called for the FAA's chief to resign]() over an ongoing dispute — the latest incident will likely test the relationship even further. **More on the incident:** *[SpaceX Mission Runs Into Mysterious Problem After Dropping Off Astronauts]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()