, two days after a landing failure grounded the vehicle.){kind=link}
Well, that was quick.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced this afternoon (August 30) that SpaceX can resume flights of its Falcon 9 rocket. The news comes just two days after the Falcon 9 first stage crashed while attempting to land following a successful launch of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites, prompting an FAA-overseen investigation.
The investigation is ongoing, but the agency has nevertheless decided to remove the Falcon 9 from orbit.
“SpaceX's Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation into the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains ongoing, provided all other license requirements are met,” FAA officials said in an emailed statement today. “SpaceX submitted the return-to-flight application on August 29 and the FAA gave its approval on August 30.”
Wednesday’s (Aug. 28) Starlink launch broke records: It was the 23rd liftoff for that particular Falcon 9 first stage, one more than any other SpaceX rocket.
The rocket reached its landing target — the deck of a SpaceX drone ship parked in the Atlantic Ocean — but was unable to stay upright. SpaceX's livestream of the launch showed flames shooting out of the base of the rocket just after touchdown, followed by a rollover.
That crash destroyed the rocket: SpaceX observers recently captured drone footage with rocket debris strewn across its deck.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and follow it in the night sky
The investigation into the failed landing is the second the FAA has conducted in the past month and a half into the Falcon 9. The rocket returned to flight on July 26 after a two-week hiatus caused by an upper stage failure that resulted in the loss of 23 Starlink satellites.
The clearance to fly is undoubtedly a relief for the crew of Polaris Dawn, a four-person orbital mission that will include the first private spacewalk in history. Polaris Dawn was scheduled to launch earlier this week before Wednesday's incident, but adverse weather forecasts delayed liftoff. SpaceX has not yet announced a new planned launch date for the historic five-day mission.