Launch News [Sep.1, 2016] Falcon 9 explodes on the Launch Pad

[IronRain]

This Falcon 9, F9-029, was meant to launch Israel's Amos-6 communications satellite. It is not sure if payload was aboard at the time of explosion

No reported injuries, but it happened a couple of minutes ago, so this is still developing.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Just saw it on facebook, dude out in the water snapped a picture.

 

[orb]

Was it during the static fire test? So I guess there was no payload on it?

 

[Urwumpe]

SpaceX homepage had a webcast for today, possibly static firing for AMOS-6.

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 PM ----------

First German news on the event:

FOCUS: SpaceX-Rakete explodiert auf Startrampe in Cape Canaveral

 

[orb]

"The satellite was supposed to be attached to the rocket for the test fire."

"The satellite was attached to the rocket for the test fire."​

Spaceflight Now: Explosion at Falcon 9 launch pad

 

[GLS]

Just smoke rising
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy5-X-shRRE"]Incident At Kennedy Space Center SpaceX Test Site - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Urwumpe]

More news from Germany, more pictures from the Eastern Test Range...

SPIEGEL: SpaceX-Rakete explodiert beim Start

(Again, Spiegel becoming overly sensationalist)

---------- Post added at 04:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ----------

Just smoke rising
Incident At Kennedy Space Center SpaceX Test Site - YouTube

Where is the rocket?

 

[GLS]

Where is the rocket?

I'm sure some of it is that gray smoke...

 

[DaveS]

I'm sure some of it is that gray smoke...

Yes, that video was grabbed after the explosion, not before. It's a record segment from this feed: http://kscwmserv1.ksc.nasa.gov/channel4 which currently shows LC39 OTV camera 080 which is on the SE corner of the roof of the VAB.

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 PM ----------

This is per Eric Berger:

[ame="http://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/771352111657385984"]Eric Berger on Twitter: "Official statement from @SpaceX: https://t.co/GxvH2E8401"[/ame]

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Thankfully no one around the immediate area.

 

[boogabooga]

They take three steps forward, then one back.

I see the service structure is still standing....

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflght.com: Falcon 9 explodes during AMOS-6 static fire test

 

[Artlav]

Well, at least we learned from the previous mistakes and there were no people around the pad this time...

What could have happened there?
They say it was 3 minutes before the test, so a rocket was just standing there and decided to blow up all of a sudden?

Such a bad timing, too - no one was expecting anything interesting to happen yet, so all the cameras were off.

 

[DaveS]

Well, at least we learned from the previous mistakes and there were no people around the pad this time...

What could have happened there?
They say it was 3 minutes before the test, so a rocket was just standing there and decided to blow up all of a sudden?

Such a bad timing, too - no one was expecting anything interesting to happen yet, so all the cameras were off.

Based on the position of the Transporter/Erector (T/E), it was not T-3 minutes as it is retracted by then.

 

[RGClark]

Quite dismaying considering the first NASA crewed flight by SpaceX is planned to be in 2017:

SECOND SPACEX CREW FLIGHT ORDERED BY NASA.
DEREK RICHARDSON JULY 30TH, 2016
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/o...ogies/second-spacex-crew-flight-ordered-nasa/

I'm thinking NASA will now want multiple successful flights by SpaceX before ok'ing a crewed flight by SpaceX. This will likely push back the first SpaceX crewed flight to 2018.

The first reuse of a F9 booster planned for later this year becomes also more problematical now. Though for the crew flights SpaceX would use new boosters, having two failed boosters in a row would still look bad for SpaceX if the reuse booster did fail, especially for SpaceX trying to build a reputation of reliability for crewed flights.

Bob Clark

 

[orb]

it was not T-3 minutes

What was scheduled time for the static fire test's ignition, as I can't find it anywhere (everyone writes only about explosion)? According to 45th Space Wing the explosion occurred at 9:07 a.m. EDT.

 

[DaveS]

What was scheduled time for the static fire test's ignition, as I can't find it anywhere (everyone writes only about explosion)? According to 45th Space Wing the explosion occurred at 9:07 a.m. EDT.

That no-one except SpaceX knows. They never publish the T0 for the static fires.

 

[boogabooga]

Perhaps someone flew their Delta Glider into the pad while checking out the beautiful new scenery... :uhh:

 

[Urwumpe]

Perhaps someone flew their Delta Glider into the pad while checking out the beautiful new scenery... :uhh:

Or the booster flight controller was too busy testing Orbiter 2016 on his second screen.

 

[RisingFury]

They can't catch a break, can they?

Was this a new booster or one that was about to be reused?