A Powerful Space X Rocket Explosion at Cape Canaveral Was Seen On Radar

Reports are coming in that SpaceX has had a major setback in the form of a series of explosions from a malfunction on its rocket Falcon 9. As of now, there are no reports of injury or fatality, but the blast is likely a huge setback for private space exploration, not to mention SpaceX itself.

The AP is reporting the series of explosions was from an unmanned rocket with firm details still remaining scarce. It’s been reported that Space X was engaging in a “hot fire” test, where rocketry teams test different types of fuels and fuel system parts to test efficiency. Clearly something went wrong, so wrong that the blast was noticed from miles away and the giant plume of smoke the rocket is giving off was spotted on radar:

https://twitter.com/TigernBear/status/771335016198639616

SpaceX was planning a launch on Saturday, and in fact had just completed a successful one on August 14. This isn’t the first setback for SpaceX, which has been pioneering the work of creating reusable rockets, which is crucially important to making space travel cost effective. Falcon 9 was the first rocket to successfully land on the pad, and losing it leaves SpaceX with Dragon 9. The company will likely begin rebuilding their rocket, but this is a setback they’ll need to consider how to overcome carefully.

(via AP)