SpaceX has confirmed the payload of last week's Starlink launch is pretty much a total writeoff. However, standing down Falcon 9 as authorities look into the incident could have major implications for the space industry.
Musk hoped that some of the satellites could be saved, but SpaceX warned over the weekend,"the satellites will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and fully demise." With a very low perigee of 135 km, the onboard thrusters simply cannot raise the orbit before atmospheric drag pulls the Starlinks back down. After bragging about the reliability of the Falcon 9 – a fair boast, as the company has managed 364 successful Falcon launches – SpaceX said it will"perform a full investigation in coordination with the FAA, determine root cause, and make corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions."As well it might. Much of the space industry has come to depend on SpaceX in recent years.