SpaceX, the American private aerospace company owned and headed by Elon Musk, has experienced a major setback in their bid to revolutionize the space industry. They recently attempted to launch their most powerful rocket yet, the Falcon Heavy, but the mission ended in failure.
The Falcon Heavy was intended to be the company’s largest and most powerful rocket, equipped with 27 engines and the ability to transport 141,000 lbs of payload to low-Earth orbit. However, during a testing phase on April 3rd, the rocket failed to launch, bursting into a cloud of smoke as it exploded on the launch pad.
Although the cause of the launch failure remains unknown, it’s likely to have been some kind of technical issue. Either way, it’s a major blow to SpaceX’s ambitions, as the Falcon Heavy was supposed to be their most advanced rocket and would have been a major step forward in the space industry.
SpaceX remain determined to succeed, however, and have already begun the process of investigating the cause of the failure. This is expected to take months, and many experts are predicting further delays in the development of the Falcon Heavy, which was originally planned to receive its first launch in early 2019.
It’s certainly a frustrating setback for SpaceX, but one which they’re determined to learn from. With any luck, this will be the end of their problems for a while and they can focus on taking the next big step towards revolutionizing the space industry.