On Sunday, a rocket-engine exploded during ignition tests at the SpaceX facility in Texas.
The incident marks a setback for the company in what has otherwise been a pretty good year, Ggizmodo.com
reports.
According to The Washington Post, the explosion happened during a “qualification test” of a new Merlin engine, which SpaceX uses on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles, and which is slated to be used on its upcoming Falcon Heavy.
In a statement, SpaceX said it’s “now conducting a thorough and fully transparent investigation of the root cause” of the blast and that the company “is committed to our current manifest, and we do not expect this to have any impact on our launch [schedule].”
