A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a routine static fire test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this morning, completely destroying the vehicle and its payload, the Amos-6 communications satellite. Amos-6 had been scheduled to launch this weekend, on September 3. There were no injuries.
Based on an update from SpaceX’s official Twitter, the “anomaly” occurred during a standard pre-launch test for the Amos-6 mission on Launch Complex 40. The explosion “originated around the upper stage oxygen tank and occurred during the propellant loading of the vehicle.”
According to an identical report from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, also on Twitter, the actual cause of the explosion is still unknown.
The incident has already negatively affected shares for some SpaceX customers, including the Israeli satellite operator that owns the Amos line of satellites, Spacecom.
According to SpaceNews, Spacecom shares dropped over nine percent in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange today, picking up only slightly after-hours.
The Amos-6 satellite would have helped with Facebook’s Internet.org initiative, which aims to bring affordable access to internet services in less developed countries.
Chloi Rad is an Associate Editor for IGN. Follow her on Twitter at @_chloi.
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