On a beautiful Thursday morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a test at Cape Canaveral’s launch pad, an event that has happened before albeit under completely different conditions. However, the scale of destruction this time was noticeably severe as the explosion destroyed an ambitious satellite commissioned by Facebook. This satellite, as part of Facebook’s latest initiative, was built to bridge the digital divide by connecting Sub Saharan Africa to the rapidly expanding digital universe.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who made this regrettable news known while in Kenya as part of his African tour, had spent the past two days soaking up the vibrant culture of Lagos, Nigeria.
Reports in the New York Daily News stated that “the blast occurred around 9 a.m. just before the test launch, sending thick flames and plumes of dark smoke into the air and causing buildings several miles away to quake.” The fiery mishap, triggered by an “anomaly” on the launch pad, resulted in the loss of both the rocket and its invaluable payload, according to an official SpaceX statement. Thankfully, the incident led to no injuries as the rocket was unmanned.
The ill-fated test was part of preparatory drills for the impending Saturday launch of Facebook’s pioneer satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, adjacent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Certainly a setback to Facebook’s effort to beam the power of internet connectivity to even the most remote corners of the world.
As illustrated in Zuckerberg’s public posts, the destroyed satellite was an essential cog in the machinery of Facebook’s internet.org initiative. Its aim was to provide internet service to some of the most remote areas of the world. Despite this setback, Facebook intends to proceed with its solar-powered Aquila drone mission, designed to fulfill the same purpose. Still, the ruin of the satellite, worth an estimated $200m, represents a significant loss.
However, it is noteworthy that SpaceX has been successful in making technological breakthroughs in the recent past. In April, SpaceX successfully launched and made a historic sea landing with a rocket, demonstrating the potential for rocket reusability.