A SpaceX Rocket Just Exploded At Cape Canaveral In Florida

It was all going so well for SpaceX. Just yesterday, we brought you the news that it had signed its first customer to fly on one of its reusable rockets. But today, one of its rockets has exploded during a test at its Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

A SpaceX Rocket Just Exploded At Cape Canaveral In Florida

This just in, about 2 hours ago a Space X rocket exploded. No injuries reported. Payload is gone as well. I wonder what it was carrying?

a reply to: AbesOldHat

It was carrying an Israeli communications satellite that Facebook was going to piggyback on for internet access in places like Africa.

a reply to: AbesOldHat

It was carrying an Israeli satellite designed to provide Broadband Internet connection to remote parts of Africa. Or at least that's the cover story.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

The internet connection was piggybacking on it. That wasn't the primary purpose of the satellite. It's primary purpose was communications for Israel, but they had some bandwidth left over, so Facebook was going to use that.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Cobaltic1978

The internet connection was piggybacking on it. That wasn't the primary purpose of the satellite. It's primary purpose was communications for Israel, but they had some bandwidth left over, so Facebook was going to use that.

Zuckerberg using a Zionist communications satellite, nice!!

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: AbesOldHat

It was carrying an Israeli communications satellite that Facebook was going to piggyback on for internet access in places like Africa.

Maybe that's the reason it didn't launch?

a reply to: AbesOldHat

I find it interesting that the rocket exploded a few minutes before it was due to fire. Ordinarily, you would expect any real fireworks to come about as a result of a failure in the ignition process, rather than before the rocket had actually fired.

I wonder if anyone ever thought about using a percentage of America's GDP to fund space exploration...

I would predict with a modest 2% GDP budget America could land men on the moon...
But no, let's not do that...let a bunch of web designers have a go at space travel instead...

Our national space agency should focus on more important issues like making Muslims feel good about their non-contributions to science:

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: AbesOldHat

I find it interesting that the rocket exploded a few minutes before it was due to fire. Ordinarily, you would expect any real fireworks to come about as a result of a failure in the ignition process, rather than before the rocket had actually fired.

It sounds like you're saying it might have been sabotage? I'm not going to lie, it's the first thing that crossed my mind when i heard "Israeli satellite".

There is a UFO (of course!) flying quickly right to left around the time of the explosion (1:10 in video)
that you can watch in slo motion here

Will try to upload screenshots of the same in a minute. It may be a drone - authorized or not?

3 images in order of forward play, near time of the explosion.

1. look far right upper corner, near top of far right tower

2. moving to 2nd tower

3. behind (?) rocket, during explosion

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
a reply to: AbesOldHat

It was carrying an Israeli satellite designed to provide Broadband Internet connection to remote parts of Africa. Or at least that's the cover story.

I worry less about what payload was destroyed when this particular Falcon 9 exploded than I do about the fact that SpaceX wants to soon launch human crews to the ISS using a Falcon 9.

And I bet NASA does, too.

The first crewed flight of a SpaceX Dragon 2 Capsule launched by a Falcon 9 launch vehicle is scheduled to happen in less than one year (August 2017). I wonder if this incident will delay that scheduled flight.



...By the way, it looked as if the explosion emanated from the upper stage rather than the launch stage. I suppose a failure could have happened anywhere, but when you think of launch failures, you think about it happening at the first stage, which is primed and ready to go. But I suppose the second stage is just as "primed" at this point.

a reply to: AbesOldHat

An Israeli satellite.

Israeli satellite explodes on rocket in Cape Canaveral

www.jpost.com...

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

everyone is wondering aloud about the 'anomaly' - the fire that started at the upper stage.

per SpaceX "Update on this morning's anomaly"

You have to slow down the video greatly (1/4 speed on youtubeslow helps) to see the rounded flying object near time of explosion.

This is very curious. I'm actually surprised nobody beat me to seeing the flying object!



The payload type IS very important. That is - if it was worth destroying. By someone.


If you want to see launch complex #40, look here on google maps

originally posted by: drphilxr
a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

The payload type IS very important. That is - if it was worth destroying. By someone.

Sure -- but the payload was just equipment that could be replaced.

However, if the flaw in the launch system is found to be an inherent design flaw in the Falcon 9 vehicle or a design flaw in the launch procedure, then the use of the Falcon 9 for launching a human crew to the ISS, which is currently scheduled for next year, could be delayed indefinitely.

NASA is counting on SpaceX and Boeing (and eventually Sierra Nevada Corp) to provide crew transportation services to the space station in order for NASA to discontinue using the Russians to launch space station crews.

Even if it was sabotage, that raises different questions about whether SpaceX has the security in place that is needed to safely launch humans into space. I would think that there are several groups who would want to blow up American astronauts on a rocket.

The rocket was carrying a satellite to be used by Facebook (FB, Tech30) to bring internet access to Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

a reply to: drphilxr

I'm actually surprised nobody beat me to seeing the flying object!

Pssstt....over here... but just by a few minutes

We'll call it a tie, if it matters.

originally posted by: Christosterone
I wonder if anyone ever thought about using a percentage of America's GDP to fund space exploration...

We do, it's called tax revenues that fund NASA.

a reply to: Zarniwoop

LOL I KNEW IT! well done.... but why are there 2 threads on this, when a mod was on this one earlier?

PLEASE MODS DO SOMETHING!

a reply to: drphilxr

Because one is in Breaking Alternative News and the other isn't. Two threads are allowed in that case.