Bad news for SpaceX and therefore NASA - a Falcon rocket exploded in Florida earlier today in preparation for a commercial satellite launch this weekend. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the rocket and satellite were destroyed.
I am sure we will learn much more in the days to come.
Update: Mark Zuckerberg is not happy he just lost a $200 million Israeli satellite that was to assist Africa with the Internet. On his Facebook page he stated:
As I'm here in Africa, I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent.
Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well. We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided.
