ROCKET BLAST VIDEO: SpaceX rocket EXPLODES at Cape Canaveral space centre – blowing up Facebook’s £150MILLION internet satellite

 

 

ROCKET BLAST VIDEO: SpaceX rocket EXPLODES at Cape Canaveral space centre – blowing up Facebook’s £150MILLION internet satellite

BY GUY BIRCHALL
The SUN

NASA says SpaceX was conducting a test firing of its unmanned rocket when the blast occurred Thursday morning

A ROCKET has exploded at Cape Canaveral space centre – blowing up Facebook’s £150million internet satellite.

NASA says SpaceX was conducting a test firing of its pioneering unmanned rocket when disaster struck.

A series of explosions sent smoke and flames shooting through the sky and shook buildings miles away.

The blast took with it Facebook’s first satellite costing the company a whopping £150 million.

Shocking new footage shows the moment the rocket exploded before take off

 
Shocking new footage shows the moment the rocket exploded moments before take off

An explosion rocks the giant rocket as it sits ready for lift off

 
An explosion rips through the giant rocket as it sits ready for lift-off

And it is quickly engulfed in a huge fireball as years of work towards providing satellite communication in sub-Saharan Africa go up in flames

 
And it is quickly engulfed in a huge fireball as years of work towards providing satellite communication in sub-Saharan Africa go up in flames

The entire ticket is soon decimated by a gigantic explosion that rips through the facility

 
The entire rocket is soon decimated by a gigantic explosion that rips through the facility

Fire and smoke could be seen billowing from the launch pad as the rocket exploded

 
Fire and smoke could be seen billowing from the launch pad as the SpaceX rocket exploded

The social media giant’s devastated founder Mark Zuckerberg said: “As I’m here in Africa, I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided so much connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent.”

SpaceX – founded by PayPal and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk – confirmed there was an anomaly on the launch pad which resulted in the loss of the rocket and its payload.

The Israeli made Amos-6 communications satellite was, according to Tech Crunch, carrying technology to allow Zuckerberg’s firm to spot beam wireless internet directly to smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa.

The social media company was working in conjunction with a French satellite provider named Eutelsat to lease the communication array for five years.

It had roped in Israeli company SpaceCom – whose stocks fell nine per cent at the news – to operate the broadcast and telecoms satellite.

The first explosion occurred shortly before 9am with a second blast following about 20 minutes later.

The rocket was supposed to hoist an Israeli communications satellite this weekend.

 
The rocket was supposed to hoist an Israeli communications satellite this weekend

The Israeli made Amos-6 satellite

SPACECOM
 
The Israeli made Amos-6 satellite (pictured) was carrying technology to allow Facebook to provide wireless internet directly to smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa

Explosion at Cape Canaveral space centre during test fire of SpaceX rocket

Buildings several miles away shook from the blast and multiple explosions continued for several minutes. A cloud of dark smoke filled the overcast sky.

The test, considered routine, was in advance of a planned Saturday launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Additional details were not immediately available. But sirens could be heard in the aftermath.

NASA SpaceX’s major customer said the explosion occurred at Launch Complex 40 at the Air Force station, and Kennedy emergency staff was on standby.

At the same time, personnel were monitoring the air for any toxic fumes.

The rocket was supposed to hoist an Israeli communications satellite this weekend which reports suggest was set to carry technology for Facebook into orbit.

The Amos-6 satellite had amongst its functions the capability for the social media company to spot-beam broadband for their Internet.org initiative.

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1710969/elon-musk-explosions-heard-at-cape-canaveral-space-centre-during-test-firing-of-spacex-rocket/