Elon ran into some trouble trying to destroy his out-of-control rocket.
But only after 40 long seconds of it uncontrollably tumbling through the sky was SpaceX able to trigger the rocket's flight termination system.
It's a shocking revelation, given the level of risk involved, and supports the theory that SpaceX may haveIt was such a powerful and destructive event that even the Federal Aviation Administration, which gave SpaceX the green light for its first orbital launch attempt, isThe suit alleges that the agency failed to assess the considerable environmental risks involved.
And as it turns out, things could've gone even worse. The launch also saw the rocket tumbling uncontrollably through the air, before blowing up in aBut it turns out that the explosion occurred much later than expected. During this weekend's discussion, Musk revealed that the flight termination system, designed to destroy the rocket in case it lost control, initially didn't kick in after an energetic event caused several of the rocket's engines to give out.
For the company's next attempt, Musk said SpaceX will make sure that "the rocket explodes immediately if flight termination is necessary.", Musk said that it's something the company doesn't want to repeat. SpaceX is planning to construct a large water-cooled slab of steel to protect the launchpad and stop debris and sand from kicking up.But when SpaceX will be able to try again remains to be seen.
"We’ve probably got an 80 percent probability of reaching orbit this year," he said over the weekend. "I don’t want to tempt fate, but I think close to 100 percent chance of reaching orbit within 12 months."
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