Posted: Sat, Mar 6, 2021, 10:19 AM ET (1519 GMT)
SpaceX said Monday that an engine on the most recent Falcon 9 rocket shut down in flight, preventing the booster from landing. A company official said at a NASA briefing that covers insulating portions of the Merlin engines on that Feb. 15 launch were "life leaders" in the Falcon 9 fleet, with the most flight experience of such components. The cover on one engine had a small hole that allowed hot gas into the engine, causing it to shut down. The rocket was still able to successfully deploy its payload of Starlink satellites but with the failed engine the booster did not have enough thrust to make a landing. NASA said it's following the issue, but noted that the Falcon 9 first stage that will be used for next month's Crew Dragon mission doesn't have anywhere near the same level of use as the one lost on the Starlink mission.
