SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket explosion: news, updates, analysis – The Verge

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 explosion likely caused by breached helium system

2016-09-23T13:35:31-04:00

SpaceX's recent Falcon 9 explosion seems to have been caused by a breach in the "cryogenic helium system" of the vehicle's upper oxygen tank, according to an update from the company. However, SpaceX says the accident is not connected to last year's Falcon 9 explosion, when a rocket disintegrated en route to the International Space Station.

The accident is not connected to last year's Falcon 9 explosion, according to SpaceX

On September 1st, one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida as the vehicle was being fueled in preparation for a static fire test. The test involves turning on the rocket's engine …

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ULA alludes to SpaceX’s rocket explosion in competition for military contract

2016-09-22T13:05:29-04:00

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The United Launch Alliance is throwing shade at rival SpaceX in the wake of the company's latest rocket failure, suggesting that ULA's vehicles are more reliable for launching Air Force satellites. ULA is making its feelings known as it's expected to compete with SpaceX for a contract to launch a military GPS satellite. (Those proposals were due on Monday.) ULA, which says it submitted a bid, is arguing that the military should choose the most reliable company to launch the satellite, not the one that offers the cheapest services.

"As recent launch failures have shown, rockets are not commodities."

"As recent launch failures have shown, rock …

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SpaceX hopes to return to flight by November, company’s president claims

2016-09-13T13:39:02-04:00

SpaceX hopes to start launching its rockets again in November, a mere three months after the company's Falcon 9 exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. That's according to SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell, who spoke today at Euroconsult's World Satellite Business Week - a conference in Paris.

"We're anticipating getting back to flight, being down for about three months, and getting back to flight in November," said Shotwell, in a video recorded by Andreas Menn, a reporter for German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche. However, Shotwell indicated that the three-month turnaround was the most optimistic scenario for the com …

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Spacecom is seeking $50 million or a free flight from SpaceX after Falcon 9 explosion

2016-09-04T15:25:08-04:00

SpaceX may be on the hook to compensate Space Communication Ltd. for the satellite that was destroyed during the explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket - either with a free trip or $50 million, according to Reuters.

The construction, launch preparation and operation of the AMOS-6 satellite, which would have been used to "significantly expand the variety of communications services provided by Spacecom," reportedly cost the company more than $195 million. The officials from the company also noted that it could also collect upwards of $205 million from Israel Aircraft Industries, which built the satellite. SpaceX hasn't said what kind of insurance it …

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SpaceX says it can continue launching Falcon 9 rockets from two other launch pads

2016-09-03T12:39:56-04:00

The recent Falcon 9 rocket explosion badly damaged SpaceX's Florida launch pad at Cape Canaveral, meaning the company's primary launch site is out of commission for the foreseeable future. But while that pad undergoes repairs, SpaceX says it can continue launching vehicles from its two other launch sites - one in California and another one in Cape Canaveral.

That doesn't mean the company will be getting back to its regular flight schedule just yet, though. SpaceX's California launch pad can only be used for certain types of missions to space, and the second Florida pad isn't quite ready to support launches just yet.

The company won't be get …

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What’s next for Internet.org after yesterday’s SpaceX explosion?

2016-09-02T13:51:21-04:00

Yesterday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, destroying its entire payload. Part of that payload was a satellite that would have provided a crucial data link for Facebooks' Internet.org project. Experts are still sorting through what caused the explosion and what it means for SpaceX, but it's already clear the explosion will be a major setback for Internet.org's ambitions in sub-saharan Africa.

In the broad view, Internet.org aims to connect the world's poorest people to the internet - but Facebook's project has drawn some criticism for how it approaches that goal. The most controversial example is Free …

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How the Falcon 9 explosion may change SpaceX’s launch schedule

2016-09-01T18:25:06-04:00

While it's still too early to know all the consequences of this morning's SpaceX explosion, one thing is almost certain: the company's future launches are likely to be delayed.

We don't know what the root cause of the accident was, however, or how badly the rocket's launch pad was damaged. Those are what will determine how long SpaceX is grounded from spaceflight - and whether the company's business will suffer.

"So we need to get to the root cause before jumping to conclusions."

"It might be something that has nothing to do with the launch vehicle," Charles Miller, the president of NexGen Space LLC, a space consulting firm, tells The Verge …

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Video shows SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploding on the launch pad

2016-09-01T13:31:22-04:00

Video has surfaced of the Falcon 9 rocket explosion that happened this morning at SpaceX's launch facility in Cape Canaveral. US Launch Report, a nonprofit video production company that brings military veterans to see space launches, published the video to its YouTube channel this afternoon.

Not long before the video was published, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that the explosion originated around the oxygen tank of the rocket's upper stage. The cause is still unknown.

SpaceX was fueling up the Falcon 9 rocket for a test before this weekend's scheduled launch of the Amos-6 satellite. Amos-6 was lost in the accident - you can see the …

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Mark Zuckerberg says he’s ‘deeply disappointed’ in satellite explosion

2016-09-01T13:03:16-04:00

Hours after the explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on its launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has released a statement on the loss of an onboard satellite contracted by Internet.org. The satellite, which Facebook launched in partnership with Eutelsat, would have brought wireless connectivity to large portions of sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with local service providers.

Zuckerberg's statement emphasizes other technologies developed by Internet.org, including the solar-powered Aquila drone, which completed its first test flight earlier this summer.

SpaceX made history with the Falcon 9 in April

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Today’s SpaceX explosion is a major setback for Facebook’s free internet ambitions

2016-09-01T12:01:24-04:00

This morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its launch pad, completely destroying the rocket and its payload two days before the scheduled launch. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but anyone counting on this weekend's launch to deliver equipment into orbit is now left scrambling for a replacement.

That list of customers includes Facebook, which had contracted SpaceX to deliver the first Internet.org satellite into orbit. In partnership with the satellite firm Eutelsat, the new satellite (called AMOS-6) was set to deliver wireless connectivity to large portions of sub-Saharan Africa, a key element of Mark Zuckerberg's plan …

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