Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Screenshot from the webcast of a SpaceX Starlink satellite launch on July 11, 2024, showing a buildup of white material on the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket.SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket suffered a rare anomaly on Thursday night .But the rocket's upper stage, which was hauling 20 Starlink spacecraft to low Earth orbit, encountered a problem, according to
Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown. Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause.Starlink satellites were deployed, but the perigee may be too low for them to raise orbit. Will know more in a few hours."Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown. Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause.
"RUD" is short for"rapid unscheduled disassembly" — SpaceX-speak for an explosion or disintegration. (Perigee, in case you were wondering, is the point in an object's orbit when it's closest to"During tonight’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink, the second-stage engine did not complete its second burn. As a result, the Starlink satellites were deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a ship at sea shortly after launching 20 Starlink satellites to orbit from California on July 11, 2024.flying today, with 69 launches under its belt already in 2024.
Thursday's launch sent up 20 Starlink satellites, 13 of which can beam service directly to cell phones. Most Falcon 9 missions these days service the giant and ever-growing Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists ofto keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: and joined the team in 2010.
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