Why SpaceX rocket explosion is hurting Facebook

At 6.37pm IST on Thursday, September 2, 2016, an explosion destroyed a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. According to SpaceX, this anomaly occurred during a standard pre-launch test. Nobody was injured during the explosion.

Update on this morning's anomaly pic.twitter.com/1ogCMPCY44

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2016

This rocket was supposed to launch on September 3 on a mission called AMOS-6, aimed to deliver Facebook's first satellite into orbit. The satellite was going to support Facebook's Internet.Org initiative by delivering spot-beam broadband. "We are disappointed by the loss but remain committed to our mission of connecting people to the Internet around the world," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

Mark Zuckerberg was personally disappointed with this.

So where do we go from here?

The first thing to understand is that statistically one in every nine US launches are expected to fail. The failure rate for SpaceX is lower, with just two out of their 29 Falcon 9 launches failing (the first one occurred in June, 2015).

We also know that one person in the world who can come out stronger from this situation is SpaceX's Elon Musk.

The genius innovator has shows considerable ability to handle adversity in the past and despite the fact that this explosion could set back a Falcon 9 launch by weeks or even months, Musk will learn and be better prepared next time.

"If anyone on this planet can recover from this, it's Elon Musk," said Dick Rocket, CEO and founder of Cape Canaveral-based New Space Global.

How the space industry reacts to this will be a whole different ballgame.

Usually, there are three stages of questioning that takes place after a rocket explosion. First, the damage is assessed and the reasons behind it. Then focus is placed on how will it affect the launch schedule, whether it will cause delay or affect other customers. Finally, it places doubt over the reliability of the launch provider.

NASA has contacted SpaceX to launch cargo and eventually astronauts to the International Space Station. They have displayed cautious optimism since the incident.

"Today's incident - while it was not a NASA launch - is a reminder that spaceflight is an incredible challenge, but our partners learn from each success and setback," the space agency said in a statement.

As usual, Elon Musk is just chill about everything.

@scrappydog yes. This seems instant from a human perspective, but it really a fast fire, not an explosion. Dragon would have been fine.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2016