Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket EXPLODES on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral – two days before it was due to send Facebook’s first satellite into orbit
Unmanned SpaceX rocket was due to launch on Saturday with Facebook’s first communications satellite
The rocket exploded during a static fire test early Thursday at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
There were no personal injuries in the blast, however, the rocket and payload were completely destroyed
Buildings several miles away shook from the blast, and multiple explosions continued for several minutes
NASA spokesman Al Feinberg said emergency personnel were monitoring the situation
The air quality is being monitored by officials for any potential threats to employees
Facebook’s Amos-6 satellite would have widened Internet access across Africa including 14 countries
SpaceX has managed to land four rockets from space back on Earth
By ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD
DailyMail.com
1 September 2016
An unmanned SpaceX rocket and its payload were completely destroyed in an explosion Thursday morning in Florida during a routine test two days before the rocket was to launch Facebook’s first communications satellite into orbit that would have significantly widened Internet access in Africa.
The blast occurred shortly after 9am in Cape Canaveral, as smoke could be seen billowing into the sky where the $200million Amos-6 satellite was set to launch on Saturday morning with a SpaceX reusable rocket.
The test was in advance of a planned Saturday launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is next to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
‘SpaceX can confirm that in preparation for today’s static fire, there was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload. Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries,’ a SpaceX spokesman said to DailyMail.com in an email.
NASA spokesman Al Feinberg said emergency personnel were monitoring the situation and standing by to assist, and the air quality was being monitored for any potential threats to employees, according to NBC News.
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