By: David Todd
In what has come to be a routine for SpaceX at 0235 GMT on 12 July 2024 a Falcon 9 v1.2FT Block 5 rocket rose from its launch pad at Vandenberg, California USA. It was carrying Starlink Group 9-3, a set of 20 v2 Mini communications satellites, 13 of which had Direct-to-Cell capability. Except that this launch did not go to plan.