VIDEO: SpaceX rocket to ISS explodes shortly after lift-off
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) has exploded within a few minutes of launching
The Falcon 9 rocket broke up over the Atlantic Ocean. Image Credit: NASA
An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) has exploded shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida before breaking up over the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket was carrying supplies to astronauts onboard the ISS as well as a new docking port. The explosion marks SpaceX’s third failure at the manoeuvre after attempts in January and April this year failed.
Currently, it’s not clear what caused the rocket to break up. According to SpaceX, the Falcon 9 was able to reach supersonic speed but something went wrong before the cargo ship was able to detach from the first stage of the rocket and reach orbit.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has taken to Twitter, echoing the uncertainty of what went wrong during the CRS-7 launch: “Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more [information] as soon as we review the data,” he tweeted. “There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause. That’s all we can say with confidence right now. Will have more to say following a thorough fault tree analysis.”
You can watch the full launch below:
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