SpaceX Explosion Rocks Cape Canaveral Launch Pad

SpaceX, the company founded 14 years ago by innovator Elon Musk, has had its fair share of ups and downs. The space program which is funded with the billionaires personal fortune, has ambitious goals. The company has been launching rockets with increased frequency as they eye an unmanned mission to Mars. Some recent successes include the first ever landing of a rocket that had been launched into space. The company plans to land rockets back on Earth once their mission is complete. The valuable rockets can then be reused in future missions, greatly reducing the cost barriers related to space travel.

Thursday’s disastrous event will definitely be considered a major setback for the company. A SpaceX rocket exploded on a launchpad in Cape Canaveral as it was preparing for launch. Thankfully the area had been cleared for launch and there were no deaths or serious injuries. In fact, the space program has never had a death linked to its operations which is remarkable considering the numerous explosions that have occurred over the years. The SpaceX explosion was attributed to an anomaly during fueling of the rocket. Whether the disaster was avoidable remains to be determined.

This explosion was not only devastating for the space program, but also for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The SpaceX rocket was carrying a $200m communications satellite owned by Facebook. This particular satellite was created with the intention of providing internet access to millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. After the explosion Zuckerberg, who is currently touring Africa, was quoted as being “deeply disappointed.” It is certainly a setback in the campaign to provide internet access to everyone in the world. You can read more about Facebook’s Internet.org campaign here.

Throughout it all Elon Musk has remained optimistic about the future of his self-funded space program. The company plans to continue launching rockets carrying supplies and personnel to the International Space Station in the coming years. Later in the month Musk plans to unveil his timetable for creating a colony on Mars. However, today’s ‘routine’ rocket launch may be a cause for concern. Will we see a SpaceX Mars Mission in the near future? Or will further setbacks delay the program indefinitely?