Mark Zuckerberg “Deeply Disappointed” at SpaceX Rocket Explosion

Following the explosion on Tuesday morning (30^th August) which claimed a SpaceX rocket which was set to launch a Facebook satellite into space, Mark Zuckerberg was expressed his disappointment over the incident. The Falcon 9 rocket was carrying the Amos-6 satellite, which was designed to transmit internet signals from orbit.

“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,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook timeline. “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.”

The Aquila that Zuckerberg is referring to is a solar-powered drone that delivers wireless internet to remote areas for Internet.org. The Amos-6 satellite – which is rumoured to cost anywhere between $95 million and $200 million – was set to expand Facebook’s internet reach into sub-Saharan Africa.

This week’s accident marks the second time SpaceX has lost a rocket during launch; last year, an explosion destroyed Falcon 9 rocket which was to deliver Microsoft HoloLens headsets to the International Space Station.