Overview
- A Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Feb. 2 at 10:47 a.m. Eastern and deployed 25 Starlink satellites 62 minutes after liftoff.
- SpaceX said the upper stage performed normally through payload deployment but encountered an off-nominal condition as it readied for a final deorbit burn.
- The company passivated the stage and is analyzing data to determine root cause and corrective actions, with no timeline given for resuming launches.
- A company manifest now lists the next Falcon 9 mission no earlier than Feb. 5 from Florida after a previously expected Feb. 3 date.
- Similar upper-stage issues in 2024 and 2025 included a two-week pause after a Crew-9 deorbit anomaly and a separate deorbit failure later attributed to a propellant leak.