SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Explosion

IAS Prelims 2023

Explosion took place in SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket  at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

An explosion destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket belonging to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its cargo during preparations for a routine test firing at Cape Canaveral in Florida, two days before it had been due to blast off and place a satellite in orbit.

The rocket’s loss occurred while the first and second stages were being filled with propellant.

SpaceX had been due to launch its 29th Falcon 9 rocket, which carries a list price of $62 million, carrying the Spacecom-owned AMOS-6.

About OSIRIS-REx:

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth for intensive study.

The 2,110-kg fully-fuelled spacecraft will launch aboard an Atlas V 411 rocket during a 34-day launch period that begins on September 8, and reach its asteroid target in 2018.