Explosion at SpaceX launch pad destroys rocket, satellite

Explosion at SpaceX launch pad destroys rocket, satellite

(AP) — A massive fireball and explosion erupted Thursday at SpaceX's main launch pad, destroying a rocket as well as a satellite that Facebook was counting on to spread internet service in Africa.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said the accident occurred during the fueling of the rocket and originated around the upper-stage oxygen tank.

The test was in advance of Saturday's planned launch of an Israeli-made communications satellite that was supposed to provide home internet for parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

The explosion occurred at Launch Complex 40 at the Air Force station, right next door to Kennedy Space Center, where emergency staff was on standby following the accident.

The initial blast sent next-door NASA employees rushing frantically outside to see what happened.

Because the pad was still burning, it remained off-limits to everyone as the afternoon wore on.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., whose single space shuttle flight ended 10 days before the Challenger disaster in 1986, said the SpaceX accident "reminds us all that space flight is an inherently risky business."