The Crew-9 incident was the second Falcon 9 upper-stage issue to crop up in less than three months. On July 11, the rocket experienced a leak of liquid oxygen in its upper stage during the launch of 20 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites. As a result, the spacecraft were deployed too low and ended up being lost.

SpaceX celebrated the first human spaceflight from its Cape Canaveral launch site on Saturday, and while the two humans aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom are safely on their way to the International Space Station,