While there were no injuries, the rocket and the Amos-6 satellite it was carrying were destroyed, and the launch pad was severely damaged.
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Ultimately, this new era of private space companies conducting commercial rocket launches is still so recent that nobody knows for sure how long it will take to recover after disasters like this. In case you are unaware of the situation, various YouTube videos and posts have surfaced that are claiming that an external object struck the rocket moments before the explosion occurred – and in fact, may even have led to the blast. The sound of explosions continued for several minutes and black smoke billowed into the morning sky. He wonders whether the sound came from the rocket or something else. The rocket engines had yet to fire as part of the test, and so there was no apparent heat source. He further explained that the trouble appeared to originate around the upper stage’s oxygen tank, as noted by the Guardian. He also said last week that astronauts have been safe had they been aboard the company’s Dragon space capsule atop the rocket at the time of the explosion.
In an interview with Reuters, Tory Bruno, chief executive of United Launch Alliance, said it might take nine to 12 months for SpaceX to return to space flight. The team of investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of the issue. SpaceX’s vice president for flight reliability, Hans Koenigsmann, is heading it up.
In a Tweet Friday, Musk outlined the challenge facing the investigation which involves NASA, the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration. Following this, on his Twitter account, he stated: “Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation”.
Now, Elon Musk is asking the people of the internet for help in finding answers on what he’s called the “most hard and complex failure” the firm has ever experienced.
Musk also answered questions and responded to comments from the public.
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The satellite telephone company Iridium plans to launch 70 next-generation satellites aboard seven Falcon 9 rockets before the end of 2017. As a result, SpaceX might have to wait until September next year to attempt another launch. Then previous year, another exploded a couple minutes into its flight to deliver more than $100 million worth of cargo to the International Space Station. Both pads are undergoing construction and should be ready soon.
