Commentary SpaceX has confirmed that the payload from last week's Starlink launch is largely a total write-off. But abandoning the Falcon 9 while authorities investigate the incident could have major implications for the space industry.

The July 11 (local time) launch from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base was the latest in an accelerating cadence of launches by SpaceX. It carried 20 Starlink satellites. The first stage of the Falcon 9 behaved nominally and once again performed the impressive feat of landing on a drone ship, making it SpaceX's 329th recovery of an orbital-class rocket to date.

It didn't go so well for the upper school. According to SpaceX, the second stage developed a leak of liquid oxygen – which was clearly visible during the emitted stream of the launch – and when the Merlin Vacuum engine was re-ignited to raise the perigee of its orbit, in SpaceX's words, it experienced an anomaly ."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was more blunt, saying the restart "resulted in an engine RUD." While we like a three-letter acronym as much as the next person—a quick unscheduled disassembly—it's safe to say something probably went off.