A rocket and its onboard satellite have been destroyed in a massive explosion which rocked a SpaceX launch pad during a routine test for a planned launch.
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This would have been part of a combined effort by Facebook and French satellite operator Eutelsat Communications SA to provide internet access to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Unlike Spacecom, who has been in the satellite business for over twenty years, Facebook is brand new to interstellar launches, and had put quite a bit of hope into its $95 million dollar satellite.
Loss Off Your Belly Fats, Upper Arm Fat and Body FatsIn 2weeks Time. SpaceX also all reports that per company protocol all staff was cleared from the site of the unmanned rocket when a problem was detected, and there were no reported injuries due to the blast.
The tragic event also impacts Musk’s immediate contracts, wherein there is already nine launches expected to be conducted using the Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX has not disclosed the terms of its contracts and insurance for the Falcon 9 rocket and the launch pad beyond what was needed to be presented to the Federal Aviation Administration. Once launched, the satellite would have significantly expanded the communication services by providing internet connectivity to about 14 African countries.
Before the “pad anomaly” last week, Spacecom was the target of a $285 million takeover by Chinese outfit Xinwei – but the takeover was contingent on a successful Amos-6 launch.
The initial fireball quickly fills the entire left half of the video’s field of view; a few seconds later, Amos-6 falls to the ground, setting off another series of explosions.
The FalconX rocket explosion is a serious drawback for both companies, Facebook and SpaceX.
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“As I’m here in Africa, I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent”, Zuckerberg explains.
