<p>Washington: SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket can return to flight for a mission planned for Monday to launch the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft from Florida, the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday.</p><p>Elon Musk's company, which has engaged in a public quarrel with the FAA in recent weeks, said on Sunday it is planning the liftoff for 10:52 a.m. ET (1452 GMT) from Cape Canaveral.</p><p>"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle is authorized to return to flight only for the planned Hera mission scheduled to launch on Oct. 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida," the FAA said on Sunday.</p><p>The agency said it has "determined that the absence of a second stage reentry for this mission adequately mitigates the primary risk to the public in the event of a reoccurrence of the mishap experienced with the Crew-9 mission."</p><p>The FAA on Sept 30 said SpaceX must investigate why the second stage of its Falcon 9 malfunctioned after a NASA astronaut mission, grounding the launch vehicle for the third time in three months. The malfunction caused the booster to fall into a region of the Pacific Ocean outside of the designated safety zone that the FAA approved for the mission. </p>.NASA warns of solar storm hitting Earth: How will it impact India?.<p>Hera is set to study the effects of the 2022 impact that NASA's DART spacecraft had with the asteroid Dimorphos in a test of a planetary defense system - the first time a spacecraft managed to alter the motion of any celestial body. Dimorphos is a moonlet of Didymos, which is defined as a near-Earth asteroid.</p><p>The Hera mission is expected to provide data for future asteroid deflection missions with an eye toward redirecting objects that could pose a future collision threat for Earth.</p><p>Falcon 9 launched DART in 2021. The FAA on Sept. 17 proposed fining SpaceX $633,000 for violating agency rules ahead of two 2023 Falcon 9 launches. "They've been around 20 years, and I think they need to operate at the highest level of safety," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said on Sept. 24.</p><p>SpaceX took issue with Whitaker's comments, saying the company is the "safest, most reliable launch provider in the world, and is absolutely committed to safety in all operations."</p><p>Whitaker defended the FAA's decision to delay a planned September Starship 5 launch, noting that SpaceX failed to complete a timely sonic boom analysis as required. The FAA has said it does not expect a license determination before late November for that launch.</p><p>Musk has criticized FAA leaders over the agency's proposed fine and called for Whitaker's resignation. In February 2023, the FAA proposed a $175,000 penalty against SpaceX for failing to submit some safety data to the agency prior to an August 2022 launch of Starlink satellites. The company paid that penalty.</p>
<p>Washington: SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket can return to flight for a mission planned for Monday to launch the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft from Florida, the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday.</p><p>Elon Musk's company, which has engaged in a public quarrel with the FAA in recent weeks, said on Sunday it is planning the liftoff for 10:52 a.m. ET (1452 GMT) from Cape Canaveral.</p><p>"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle is authorized to return to flight only for the planned Hera mission scheduled to launch on Oct. 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida," the FAA said on Sunday.</p><p>The agency said it has "determined that the absence of a second stage reentry for this mission adequately mitigates the primary risk to the public in the event of a reoccurrence of the mishap experienced with the Crew-9 mission."</p><p>The FAA on Sept 30 said SpaceX must investigate why the second stage of its Falcon 9 malfunctioned after a NASA astronaut mission, grounding the launch vehicle for the third time in three months. The malfunction caused the booster to fall into a region of the Pacific Ocean outside of the designated safety zone that the FAA approved for the mission. </p>.NASA warns of solar storm hitting Earth: How will it impact India?.<p>Hera is set to study the effects of the 2022 impact that NASA's DART spacecraft had with the asteroid Dimorphos in a test of a planetary defense system - the first time a spacecraft managed to alter the motion of any celestial body. Dimorphos is a moonlet of Didymos, which is defined as a near-Earth asteroid.</p><p>The Hera mission is expected to provide data for future asteroid deflection missions with an eye toward redirecting objects that could pose a future collision threat for Earth.</p><p>Falcon 9 launched DART in 2021. The FAA on Sept. 17 proposed fining SpaceX $633,000 for violating agency rules ahead of two 2023 Falcon 9 launches. "They've been around 20 years, and I think they need to operate at the highest level of safety," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said on Sept. 24.</p><p>SpaceX took issue with Whitaker's comments, saying the company is the "safest, most reliable launch provider in the world, and is absolutely committed to safety in all operations."</p><p>Whitaker defended the FAA's decision to delay a planned September Starship 5 launch, noting that SpaceX failed to complete a timely sonic boom analysis as required. The FAA has said it does not expect a license determination before late November for that launch.</p><p>Musk has criticized FAA leaders over the agency's proposed fine and called for Whitaker's resignation. In February 2023, the FAA proposed a $175,000 penalty against SpaceX for failing to submit some safety data to the agency prior to an August 2022 launch of Starlink satellites. The company paid that penalty.</p>