Instead of making another attempt to land their rockets on a barge, the folks at SpaceX got an unfriendly reminder today that space is really, really, really hard. A rapid unscheduled disassembly — aka, “an explosion” — ate their rocket just seconds after launch, destroying all cargo to the space station.
The rocket and spacecraft had no crew, so the only casualties are replaceable stuff. While unfortunate, things like this happen — most recently a Progress resupply vessel failed to make sufficient height in orbit, while late last year an Antares rocket outright exploded on launch — so space station logistics are built to accommodate the occasional missed delivery. All the astronauts currently on-board are fine with plenty of supplies to keep them going for months, while the next cargo run is scheduled for July 3rd.
.@SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at 10:21am ET. After liftoff, the launch vehicle failed. [replay] #SpaceX #ISShttps://t.co/eeFWm8VqBZ
— NASA (@NASA) June 28, 2015
https://gizmodo.com/a-spacex-rocket-just-exploded-in-mid-air-1714454471
