SpaceX Rocket Explodes
Three engine F9R Dev1 vehicle auto-terminated during test flight. No injuries or near injuries. Rockets are tricky …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2014
With that tweet, Elon Musk acknowledged the explosion of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Reusable rocket.
In an e-mail to Business Insider, SpaceX spokesman John Taylor said, “During the flight, an anomaly was detected in the vehicle and the flight termination system automatically terminated the mission. Today’s test was particularly complex, pushing the limits of the vehicle further than any previous test. As is our practice, the company will be reviewing the flight record details to learn more about the performance of the vehicle prior to our next test.”
The F9R was conceived as a replacement for the retired Grasshopper rocket, and has been touted by Musk as potentially making spaceflight much less expensive. The F9R is designed to be a reusable method of payload delivery.
SpaceX Statement:
Earlier today, in McGregor, Texas, SpaceX conducted a test flight of a three engine version of the F9R test vehicle (successor to Grasshopper). During the flight, an anomaly was detected in the vehicle and the flight termination system automatically terminated the mission.
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.With research and development projects, detecting vehicle anomalies during the testing is the purpose of the program. Today’s test was particularly complex, pushing the limits of the vehicle further than any previous test. As is our practice, the company will be reviewing the flight record details to learn more about the performance of the vehicle prior to our next test.SpaceX will provide another update when the flight data has been fully analyzed.
