SpaceX Anomaly Marks First Major Failure Since June 28, 2015

Watch dramatic footage of the SpaceX rocket exploding at its Cape Canaveral launch pad http://cnnmon.ie/2cgE1QY. @cnn #spacex #space

See this Instagram video by @spacexpage * 2,188 likes

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Sept. 1st, 2016

SpaceX has made a habit of being one of the most reliable and hardy aerospace companies in the world, all while pushing the boundaries of rocketry with their experimental landings. People have grown accustomed to seeing the first stage of their rockets come back to earth and land, or explode, on either a sea barge (for high altitude missions) or the original launch pad. These weren't seen as failures though, due to the fact that they were very experimental ideas that no one but Blue Origin has tried. Today, however, SpaceX had their luck run out. During the propellant loading phase, there was what they called an "anomaly." As you can see in the video, the result of this anomaly was the spectacular destruction of the rocket and the $95 million dollar payload which just happened to belong to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

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Following SpaceX's failure on June 28th, 2015 when delivering supplies to the ISS (International Space Station), they gave NASA deeply discounted rates to make up for the lost time and money put into the launch. One would imagine that the same may be done for Zuckerberg after this recent mishap, although it wouldn't be surprising if he looked into other aerospace companies to launch his satellite. SpaceX is currently looking into the exact cause of the explosion and will update as soon as they can. No one was injured during the incident.