Today was supposed to mark the launch of another SpaceX low-orbit-bound mission from Cape Canaveral to space to resupply the ISS (International Space Station). Dubbed CRS-17, Elon Musk's spacecraft was set to take two tonnes of supplies and other items including the new Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, an experiment to generate algae for human consumption on board and a new multi-experiment microgravity platform called Hermes. The Falcon 9 rocket was due to launch at 8.11am, with its Dragon capsule being deployed 10 minutes later but this has since been postponed.
The reusable Falcon 9 will return to Earth after it launches tomorrow, where it will land on SpaceX’s drone ship somewhere in the Pacific Ocean while Dragon will cruise towards the ISS for two days.
Elon Musk will be crossing his fingers, hoping everything goes to plan and history does not repeat itself.
On June 28, 2015, the space agency tested its Falcon 9 rocket, which was supposed to operate three minutes after launch.
However, 139 seconds into the flight, viewers of the live stream – courtesy of NASA – were left shocked as the rocket disintegrated.
The Falcon 9 rocket exploded mid-flight (Image: YOUTUBE)
The SpaceX falure occured in 2015 (Image: GETTY)
There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank
Elon Musk
Elon Musk said something ruptured the rocket's liquid oxygen tank, causing the explosion.
He tweeted
