SpaceX's F9R test vehicle self-destructed yesterday during a test flight at their McGregor, Texas test facility. There were no injuries. According to a witness, "there is a big grass fire from falling debris."
According to a statement issued by SpaceX, "Throughout the test and subsequent flight termination, the vehicle remained in the designated flight area. There were no injuries or near injuries. An FAA representative was present at all times."
John Taylor, a SpaceX spokesman, said that "[d]uring the flight, an anomaly was detected in the vehicle and the flight termination system automatically terminated the mission." SpaceX has said that more information will be forthcoming once they've analyzed the flight data.
Sister links
Sources
- Paul Szoldra. SpaceX Rocket Explodes After Launch — Business Insider, August 22, 2014
- M. Alex Johnson. SpaceX Test Flight Detonated Over Texas Town — NBC News, August 22, 2014
- Mandy. Twitter post about SpaceX from witness — Twitter, August 22, 2014
Source & Attribution
Originally published by Wikinews on August 23, 2014. Original author: Wikinews.
CC BY 2.5. Photograph: The crashed rocket is a test unit for a reusable version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle. Pictured is the first flight of the V1.1, which launched Canada's CASSIOPE spacecraft into a polar orbit in September 2013.
Image: U.S. Air Force/Michael Peterson. Photo: U.S. Air Force/Michael Peterson http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/photos/media_search.asp?q=Falcon (image link) Source file. Public domain. Public domain.
Disclaimer
This article retains its original publication date. Subsequent corrections and updates supplied by the source are retained when available. Thames Weekly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the original publisher unless expressly stated. Text and photographs remain credited to their respective creators.
.jpg){kind=link}