Update: SpaceX has confirmed that there were no personnel injuries in the blast but the rocket and payload were destroyed.
According to numerous eyewitness reports, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just exploded during a test on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. This rocket was set to launch on Saturday, Sept. 3 on a mission to deliver Facebook’s first satellite to orbit.
This rocket was scheduled to launch the Amos-6 communication satellite, which among other functions included the capabilities for Facebook to spot-beam broadband for Facebook’s Internet.org initiative. Facebook and France-based satellite provider Eutelsat spent $95 million for a five-year lease on the satellite’s Ka-band communication array.
“We are disappointed by the loss but remain committed to our mission of connecting people to the Internet around the world,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
The local county emergency management office states there is no threat to the general public in the surrounding areas.
Developing…
Update on this morning's anomaly pic.twitter.com/1ogCMPCY44
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— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2016
Statement on this morning's anomaly pic.twitter.com/3Xm2bRMS7T
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2016
Pic of damage to launch tower from @SpaceX test firing explosion pic.twitter.com/ZPCiQ0p94B
— Todd Harrison (@ToddHarrisonDC) September 1, 2016
For anyone who wondered why launch prep takes weeks & why no one is allowed near, this is why #Falcon9 #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/ukCPmAhOhD
— SEND KISSINGER TO THE HAGUE (@2dogsinacoat) September 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/771339740918452225
https://twitter.com/TigernBear/status/771335016198639616
https://twitter.com/TraumahawkTV/status/771334973211148288
https://twitter.com/ErinHead_HIM/status/771335928778465280/photo/1
#Breaking| #SpaceX Falcon 9 explodes at launch site at Cape Canaveral, #Florida.
(pic via @Dehreeus ) pic.twitter.com/YzaeRkXuAG— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) September 1, 2016
Significant non-precipitation plume showing up on radar following incident at Cape Canaveral #CapeCanaveral #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/QFSbVsjbw5
— Kerrin Jeromin (@KerrinJeromin) September 1, 2016
Matt Burns is a longtime technology journalist, now Editorial Director at Insight Media Group and formerly Managing Editor at TechCrunch. At Insight Media Group, he guides coverage and contributor programs across fast-growing tech publications. Before that, he spent 15+ years at TechCrunch, rising from contributor to Managing Editor, helping scale the newsroom and program Disrupt’s stages and TechCrunch’s other events. Earlier, he also wrote for Engadget. Matt co-founded the Resilience Conference, an event series at the intersection of defense, security, and startup innovation. There he builds agendas, hosts sessions, and launched “Launch @ Resilience,” a showcase for early-stage teams building nation-defending technology. Across roles, he’s reported on and moderated conversations in AI, mobility, frontier tech, and the hard problems technology companies face. He’s interviewed world leaders, top investors, startup founders, and public-company CEOs. Lifelong Michiganian with plenty of Silicon Valley miles, he brings Midwest empathy and an editor’s eye. Offstage, he works with teams to sharpen narrative and validate go-to-market plans, and, when possible, camping along Lake Michigan.