Polaris Dawn, a SpaceX led mission set to be a landmark in civilian spaceflight, could be staring down the barrel of additional delays.
That’s because on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster, which the Polaris mission is supposed to launch on, crashed while landing, tipping over moments after touching down. The botched landing immediately prompted SpaceX to delay another launch that morning using the same rocket.
And now the Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all Falcon 9 rockets until SpaceX can finish its investigation into the crash, the agency announced Wednesday, leaving the timeline of the forthcoming civilian mission ever more uncertain.
“A return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster rocket is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety,” it said in a statement.
Speedy Recovery
The Polaris mission, which is set to conduct the world’s first private spacewalk, has been saddled with repeated setbacks. Once slated to commence in April, it was pushed back to a summer launch date of August 26. Then the discovery of a helium leak in ground equipment, followed by a bad weather forecast, delayed it again.
Recent troubles with the Falcon 9 rocket, which is usually extremely reliable — such is the bad luck of the Polaris mission and its four amateur astronauts — have hampered things further.
According to the Washington Post, the launch system could be mission-ready in another two weeks, which is how long it took for SpaceX to investigate and clear a previous issue with its engine in July.
Another fortnight of waiting wouldn’t be the end of the world. That seems to be the view of Jason Isaacman, the billionaire commander of the mission, who doesn’t sound too bothered by the FAA grounding and the ongoing Falcon 9 investigation.
“We’re just focused on recovery weather at this point,” Isaacman wrote in a tweet. “I think that is still gate to our launch.”
History of Success
There is a possibility, though, that the probe takes longer. If so, it could also spell trouble for NASA’s plans to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, launched by a Falcon 9, to rotate its stranded astronauts off the International Space Station with two fresh crewmembers.
But given the Falcon 9 rocket’s track record, there’s a good case for optimism. Until Wednesday’s crash, the launch system had completed 267 successful booster landings in a row, and out of a total of 368 missions, only three have failed. By and large, it’s one of the most prolific and reliable launch systems in the world.
Perhaps that it’s ended two of its flawless streaks in the past several months — successful launches in a row and successful landings — may be cause for concern. It’s definitely a wake-up call either way, and it’ll be down to SpaceX engineers to make good on it.
“The loss of B1062 is a poignant reminder of the challenges involved in spaceflight and the pioneering nature of SpaceX’s missions,” SpaceX said in a statement. “As the company continues to push the boundaries of rocket re-usability, every setback provides valuable insights that drive further innovation.”
