"The mission, which launched from California on February 2 at 1547 UTC, deployed another 25 Starlink satellites. The first stage was on its 31st flight and made a successful landing on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. The first two second stage engine burns were successful, and the satellites were deployed successfully. However, the deorbit burn did not happen, and the stage was instead passivated."
"In its update, SpaceX said: "Teams are reviewing data to determine root cause and corrective actions before returning to flight." It is not the first time the second stage has posed problems for SpaceX. An explosion in July 2024 resulted in the loss of a payload of Starship satellites, and in February 2025, the company showered debris over Poland after an uncontrolled re-entry following a failed deorbit burn attempt. SpaceX did not clarify how long the Falcon 9 is to remain grounded."
SpaceX paused Falcon 9 flights after a second-stage off-nominal condition prevented a deorbit burn and caused the spent second stage to tumble uncontrollably during reentry. The mission launched from California on February 2 at 1547 UTC and deployed 25 Starlink satellites; the first stage landed successfully on Of Course I Still Love You on its 31st flight. Two earlier second-stage burns succeeded, but the deorbit burn did not occur and the stage was passivated to vent unused propellant. The stage re-entered the following morning between about 0130 and 0330 UTC. SpaceX is reviewing data to determine root cause and corrective actions. Launch dates have been shifted, delaying a Starlink mission and potentially affecting the Crew-12 ISS launch scheduled for February 11.
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