SpaceX has concluded its investigation into the engine failure that occurred during a Falcon 9 launch on July 11th. The company has submitted a "mishap report" to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is set to resume launches as early as tomorrow.

Working in collaboration with the FAA, SpaceX's investigation team has determined that the failure on July 11th was caused by a liquid oxygen leak in the second stage engine during the initial burn. The leak originated from a crack in a pressure sensor sense line within the rocket's oxygen system. The investigation found that a loose clamp allowed excessive engine vibrations, leading to fatigue and ultimately causing the crack.

According to a statement on SpaceX's website, the leaking liquid oxygen resulted in excessive cooling of engine components, particularly those involved in delivering ignition fluid. This led to a "hard start" and damage to the engine, causing the upper stage to lose control of altitude.

While the first stage of the Falcon 9 performed as expected, safely landing for future reuse, the incident with the second stage resulted in the Starlink satellites being deployed at a lower orbit. Due to the "enormously high-drag environment," all 20 satellites are expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up.

To expedite the return to flight, SpaceX engineers will remove the faulty sense line and sensor from the second stage's engine. The company states that the sensor is not essential to the flight safety system and can be covered by existing alternate sensors. Additionally, SpaceX has inspected, cleaned, and replaced some of the sense lines and clamps on its active booster fleet. These changes have already undergone testing, overseen by the FAA, at SpaceX's facility in McGregor, Texas.

With the investigation now complete, the Falcon 9 rocket is no longer grounded and is ready to resume service. SpaceX is targeting July 27th at 12:21AM ET for its next Falcon 9 launch, carrying 23 Starlink satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Alternative launch window opportunities are also available later in the day and on July 28th.