Falcon-9 Rocket Faces Issue, Sunita Williams Mission

Following the successful launch of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, aimed at rescuing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, a significant issue emerged. The Falcon-9 rocket’s second stage experienced a major anomaly.

The mission’s primary goal is to rescue Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over 100 days due to technical complications with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

SpaceX stated, “After today’s successful launch of Crew-9, Falcon 9’s second stage was disposed of in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn. As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside the targeted area. We will resume launching after we better understand the root cause.”

The Crew-9 mission launched from Cape Canaveral, carrying only two crew members — NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov — leaving two seats empty for Williams and Wilmore on their return flight scheduled for February 2025.

NASA had to adapt its plans following serious technical issues with the Starliner, which included thruster malfunctions and helium leaks.

Despite this setback with the Falcon 9’s second stage, NASA officials expressed optimism about the mission’s overall success and the astronauts’ safe return.

“We are in an exciting period of exploration,” said NASA chief Bill Nelson following the launch. The investigation into the Falcon 9 issue will be critical as both agencies aim to ensure safety in future missions.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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