SpaceX says its Falcon 9 rocket debris crash over Europe was caused by propellant leak – Space.com
“A small liquid oxygen leak developed, which ultimately drove higher-than-expected vehicle body rates.”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
A propellant leak was to blame for the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashing to Earth over Europe last week, SpaceX says.The Falcon 9 launched on Feb. 1 from California, carrying 22 Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit as planned. SpaceX usually de-orbits Falcon 9 upper stages after their deployment work is done, bringing the hardware down in a controlled fashion over unpopulated areas.That didn’t happen on this particular mission, however. The Falcon 9 upper stage stayed aloft until Feb. 19, when it fell to Earth uncontrolled, sparking a dramatic sky show seen across much of Europe and dropping debris on Poland.SpaceX now knows what went wrong.”During the coast phase of this Starlink mission, a small liquid oxygen leak developed, which ultimately drove higher-than-expected vehicle body rates. As a result, following safe mission conops [concept of operations], the deorbit burn was not performed and the vehicle was successfully passivated on-orbit to remove sources of stored energy,” the company wrote in a statement.”SpaceX is working closely with the government of Poland on recovery and cleanup efforts,” the company added. “There are no toxic materials present in the debris. If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly. Instead, please contact your local authorities or the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at recovery@spacex.com.”Related: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket debris creates dramatic fireball over Europe, crashes in Poland (video)Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!— SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites to orbit from California (video)— Falling space debris is a growing worry for aircraft, new research suggests— Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problemLocal authorities reported large pieces of debris found near Poznań, a city in west Poland. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA), which had been tracking the flight, confirmed in a statement the same day that the debris was from the Falcon 9.Marek Fagasik, a Polish farmer from the village of Śliwno, found some of the Falcon 9 wreckage in his field, after a passerby alerted him, according to the English-language news channel TVP World, which covers Central Europe and Poland. Fagasik told a local newspaper he’s exploring options for compensation.”It’s good that it fell in winter and the losses are not that big,” Fagasik said. “In late spring or if it was very wet, even cars would have a hard time getting there. And there would be losses in crops.”In 2024, SpaceX launched more than 130 orbital missions. This year, the total will be even higher. SpaceX has already performed more than 20 launches in 2025.Join our Space Forums to 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: community@space.com.Julian Dossett is a freelance writer living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He primarily covers the rocket industry and space exploration and, in addition to science writing, contributes travel stories to New Mexico Magazine. In 2022 and 2024, his travel writing earned IRMA Awards. Previously, he worked as a staff writer at CNET. He graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos in 2011 with a B.A. in philosophy. He owns a large collection of sci-fi pulp magazines from the 1960s.Private Blue Ghost lunar lander captures stunning views of moon’s far side ahead of March 2 touchdown try (video)Katy Perry will launch to space with historic all-female crew on Blue Origin rocketNASA must ‘consider alternatives’ to put Artemis astronauts on the moon, experts tell US Congress
Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
