SpaceX Resumes Falcon 9 Flights After FAA Clearance Following Upper Stage Anomaly

SpaceX successfully resumed Falcon 9 operations on February 7, 2026, following a brief grounding initiated after an anomaly on a prior Starlink mission. The launch, carrying 25 Starlink satellites, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first stage booster, designated B1088, completed its thirteenth mission and executed a precise landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.

The operational pause began after the Starlink 17-32 mission on February 2, 2026, where the rocket's upper stage failed to perform its planned deorbit burn, although satellite deployment was successful. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted formal authorization for flight resumption on February 6 after concluding its regulatory review of the off-nominal condition. SpaceX and the FAA determined the probable root cause was the Falcon 9 second-stage engine's inability to ignite for the deorbit maneuver, which the company attributed to a gas bubble forming within a transfer tube during internal testing related to engine chill profiles.

This incident marks the fourth upper stage-related anomaly in the preceding nineteen-month period. The FAA's final mishap report accepted SpaceX's findings, confirming that the event caused no public injuries or property damage, and noted that preventative technical and organizational measures have been implemented by the company. This swift regulatory clearance immediately clears the path for the critical NASA Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Crew-12 launch is now scheduled for February 11, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's SLC-40, aiming to restore the ISS crew complement to its standard operational capacity of seven personnel. The current reduced staffing level stems from the early return of the Crew-11 team in January 2026. The incoming Crew-12 quartet, slated for an approximately nine-month duration, includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

NASA's internal evaluation confirmed that the upper stage anomaly did not elevate the risk profile for crewed ascent, as the second stage utilizes a distinct deorbit profile for crewed missions compared to Starlink missions. The successful return to flight just five days after the grounding demonstrates rapid diagnostic and remediation capabilities under regulatory oversight. The high operational tempo of the Falcon 9, which supported 123 Starlink launches in 2025, remains central to the expansion of the Starlink constellation and the continuity of commercial and government launch objectives.