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SpaceX has dealt with its fair share of setbacks equally it works toward crewed NASA flight certification. One of the visitor'due south Dragon 2 spacecraft exploded during testing last yr, merely SpaceX managed to address that potential flaw surprisingly quickly. Now, the visitor'southward launch timeline could be undone by a seemingly minor failure during an otherwise successful mission. NASA and SpaceX are currently examining the loss of an engine during the March 18th Starlink satellite launch, and the outcome could delay the outset crewed launch yet once again.

The March 18th Falcon nine launch is in the books equally a success — the booster made a historic 5th flight, and the second phase successfully deployed sixty new Starlink internet satellites. However, the booster didn't make information technology back to the drone ship. The circumstances surrounding that pocket-size setback are part of the NASA investigation.

SpaceX reported that i of the rocket'south ix Merlin 1D engines failed during ascent. The good news is the on-board flight figurer was able to recoup for that past burning the remaining engines a bit longer. The video stream from the rocket appears to show the engine flaming out, only SpaceX didn't discuss the anomaly during the broadcast. However, it noted several minutes later that the booster, known as B1058, had failed to land on the drone send. Presumably, this was due to the lost engine.

NASA notes that SpaceX is required by the commercial crew contract to make all data and reports available to the bureau. Currently, the beginning crewed launch, known as Demo-ii, is on the books for May. If the investigation uncovers any necessary corrective actions, the May launch timeline could be pushed back.

The March 18th video feed shows an unusual flare from the engine before shutdown.

The March 18th incident is the beginning Merlin 1D in-flight failure, and the booster was on its 5th launch. SpaceX tin simply rely on fresh Falcon nine rockets to reduce any potential risk, but NASA is still roofing all its bases with this investigation. Any delay would likely be minor — fifty-fifty if a crewed launch suffered a similar failure, the ix-engine Falcon 9 seems capable of compensating to get its cargo (human or otherwise) where it needs to go.

Boeing is the other major thespian in NASA'south Commercial Crew Plan. Last year, it looked like Boeing might be able to send astronauts to the ISS ahead of SpaceX, but the visitor's uncrewed demo mission with the CST-100 Starliner ran into software issues, causing the capsule to end up in the wrong orbit and miss the ISS entirely. The SpaceX engine event is insufficiently minor.

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