Space X aborts the launch of 60 new Starlink Satellites due to due to failure of the engine power unit of the Falcon 9 Rocket. Read ahead to know more.

 About Starlink Satellites

Starlink is the name of the satellite network. These satellites are developed by private spaceflight company known as SpaceX. The company is owned by Elon Musk. The purpose of making these satellites and launching them into space is to provide low-cost internet connectivity in remote areas around the world.

The company plans to sell some of the satellites to the military. They will be used for exploratory and scientific purposes. SpaceX ensures that none of its Starlink Satellite launch will interfere with the studying of the universe and its observation.

The Issue

SpaceX was going to launch 60 new Starlink Satellites on 15th March 2020. Everything was going as planned until a problem with one of the rockets triggered the abortion of the launch.

At the T-0 mark, the Falcon 9’s engine began to ramp up but shut down automatically just seconds later. The onboard computer of the Falcon 9 rocket triggered an abort just before lift-off.

The lift-off was scheduled at 9:22 A.M. The scientists detected an issue with one of Falcon Rockets 9 Merlin 1D engines. The issue was such that scientists could not fix the problem on the spot. It was not possible to re-launch the satellite on the same day.

What Next

The scientists and the SpaceX officials are working with the U.S Air Force and Eastern Range, which oversees launches from Florida’s Space Coast. SpaceX will announce the next date of the official launch of the satellite once the problem identified is addressed and solved.

The Falcon 9 Rocket is the SpaceX Booster which has launched six flights for SpaceX. It is equipped with advance safety features that can trigger an on pad abort if anything goes wrong in the system of the rocket.

Scientists are working and analyzing the algorithms and data patterns of Starlink Satellite. They want to ensure that the 9 Merlin 1D engines don’t go faulty at the next launch. This can cost a fortune for Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.