CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — After its return from sending more than 20 satellites into orbit, a Falcon 9 first-stage booster tipped over on a SpaceX droneship during a landing early Wednesday.

Following the incident, which the Federal Aviation Administration is calling an "anomaly," the Falcon 9 has been grounded until a required investigation is complete.

What You Need To Know

  • A Falcon 9 first-stage booster tipped over on a SpaceX droneship during a landing Wednesday morning

  • Following the incident, which the Federal Aviation Administraion is calling an "anomaly," the Falcon 9 has been grounded until a required investigation is complete
  • This was the booster's 23 mission; its previous ones include Ax-1 and Inspiration4

The Starlink 8-6 mission took off at 3:48 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday morning.

While it deployed 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster did not stick its landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, confirmed SpaceX on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“After a successful ascent, Falcon 9's first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Teams are assessing the booster's flight data and status. This was the booster's 23rd launch,” SpaceX stated.

The FAA posted on its website later in the day Wednesday that it was "aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 8-6 mission," and said that while no injuries or public property damage was reported in connection with the incident, the FAA "is requiring an investigation."

Wednesday's launch was the 23rd mission for booster, B1062. Its past missions include:

SpaceX posted on X that it was standing down from a California Starlink launch to review the booster-landing data from the Florida one.

While the booster did not have a successful landing, it did manage to send up 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct to cellphone abilities.

Starlink, which is owned by SpaceX, is a telecommunications company.

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Dr. Jonathan McDowell has been recording Starlink satellites and before this mission, he documented the following:

  • 6,329 are in orbit
  • 5,764 are in operational orbit

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