Tech Desk 
Oct 12, 2024
SpaceX has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resume the launches of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The FAA's clearance comes after a thorough investigation into recent issues with the rocket's upper stage.
Why SpaceX was grounded?
On September 28, the Falcon 9 rocket experienced an upper-stage problem during the launch of the Crew-9 astronaut mission for NASA. This led to the rocket being grounded until the FAA could review and accept the investigation findings.
The malfunction was the latest in a string of mistakes the company made, including a propellant leak in the second stage in July and a first-stage rocket landing in August.
The FAA reviewed the incidents in detail and has now accepted SpaceX's corrective actions. "The FAA notified SpaceX on October 11 that the Falcon 9 vehicle is authorised to return to regular flight operations," agency officials said in a statement.
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This development clears the way for SpaceX to resume its hectic launch schedule.
SpaceX is leading the charge in private space exploration, with its Starship program aiming to establish a human settlement on Mars. This company's work on reusable rockets will potentially overturn the industry regarding the efficiencies of launching time and cost.
With the Falcon 9 out of its system, SpaceX is now free to go for the fifth test flight of the Starship mega-rocket.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch schedule
SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled for 13 October, this will be the first attempt by SpaceX to "catch" the Super Heavy booster using the Orbital Launch Mount A tower at the Starbase launch site.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk commented that the heatshield tiles on the Flight 5 vehicle would be twice as strong and have a new ablative protection layer underneath.
