CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A SpaceX rocket has failed for the first time in nearly a decade, leaving the company’s internet satellites in an orbit so low that they're doomed to fall through the atmosphere and burn up.The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from California on Thursday night, carrying 20 Starlink satellites. Several minutes into the flight, the upper stage engine malfunctioned. SpaceX on Friday blamed a liquid oxygen leak.
More than 6,000 orbiting Starlinks currently provide internet service to customers in some of the most remote corners of the world.The Federal Aviation Administration said the problem must be fixed before Falcon rockets can fly again.It was not known if or how the accident might impact SpaceX's upcoming crew flights.