SpaceX Falcon 9 Engine Startup Abort Grounds Starlink 17-39 at Vanden…

SpaceX's Falcon 9 suffered a rare post-ignition abort at Vandenberg Space Force Base on 20 July, with the flight computer detecting an engine startup anomaly and commanding automatic shutdown whilst the rocket remained clamped to the pad. The incident marks the second such abort in over two years and follows Starship's own ignition-phase abort four days earlier. If you supply components or subsystems into Falcon 9 engines — valves, turbopumps, ignition systems, seals — you now have hard evidence that detection happens at ignition, not in static test. SpaceX's abort chain works, but it also means anomalies you thought were caught in qualification are still reaching the pad, and the next one could be yours.