NASA engineers are running checks to solve the mystery of why the Falcon 9's engine failed to perform a routine maneuver to lower the rocket's altitude.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it had grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket pending an investigation into why the rocket’s second stage missed its deorbit landing target zone after this weekend’s Crew-9 launch from Cape Canaveral.

Elon Musk founded corporation SpaceX has grounded its Falcon 9 rockets temporarily after they faced a malfunction during the launch of a rescue mission for two astronauts, who were stranded

The incident prompted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground the rocket but Falcon 9 was back in the swing of things in no time, launching another batch of Starlink satellites three days later. August’s landing mishap ended a streak of 267 successful touchdowns and booster recoveries since February 2021.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said SpaceX must investigate why the second stage of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket malfunctioned after a NASA astronaut mission on Saturday, grounding the rocket for the third time in three months.

SpaceX has risen to prominence on the strength of its Falcon 9 rocket, a launch vehicle that, until recently, seemed almost bulletproof. The Falcon 9 has now suffered its third launch anomaly in as many months, leading SpaceX to once again ground the rocket until engineers can understand why this weekend's launch didn't go entirely as planned.

After SpaceX on Saturday launched two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA, the rocket body that had boosted the crew further into space failed to properly re-light its engine.