SpaceX Falcon 9 suffers rare failure in space, imperiling Starlink mission

FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, U.S., June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A second-stage engine on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket suffered a rare malfunction in space during a routine Starlink mission on Thursday night, imperiling the satellites in the company's first rocket failure in more than seven years.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:35pm local time (02:35 GMT) Thursday to send 20 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The rocket's second-stage engine carrying the payload reached space, but failed its second attempt to reignite to push the satellites to their intended orbit.