SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, meant to launch a satellite this weekend, exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida this morning. The explosion occurred during the preparation for the static fire test of the rocket's engines, NASA told the Associated Press. The blast reportedly shook buildings "several miles away."

The company confirmed to The Verge the loss of the Falcon 9 an hour later: "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."

This explosion comes at a pivotal time for SpaceX. The company has been in recovery mode after a major setback last year, when one of its Falcon 9 rockets exploded during launch in June. After that, SpaceX took a six-month hiatus but returned to spaceflight in December with the successful launch of the Orbcomm-2 satellite. The company even landed the Falcon 9 rocket for the first time afterward — a feat that the company had been trying to perfect for the past year. Since then, SpaceX has experienced a string of successes with its rocket launches and landings.

And the company has big plans for the future. SpaceX is working toward the first launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket later this year, a giant vehicle that will provide even more thrust than the Falcon 9. And the company recently announced that it plans to send spacecraft to Mars starting in 2018. This explosion may delay those initiatives.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/127...averal-florida

Oops I did it again
Technologynya belum stabil tampaknya