Falcon 9 fails to deliver Starlink satellites to target orbit Due to engine malfunction

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket failed to place the latest batch of 20 Starlink mini-satellites into their intended orbit due to a malfunction.

The press service of SpaceX, the company behind the launch shared a post on its X account, highlighting the issue, Caliber.Az reports.

“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.

SpaceX has made contact with 5 of the satellites so far and is attempting to have them raise orbit using their ion thrusters,” the post reads.

The rocket was launched from a launch pad in California, continuing SpaceX's ambitious Starlink project. Since May 2019, SpaceX has launched more than 6.7 thousand Starlink satellites, with over 6.2 thousand currently operational in orbit. The remaining satellites have either failed or gone out of orbit.