Video Shows SpaceX Rocket Center Core Crash

SpaceX Center Core Crash

Suffering a number of delays, Elon Musk went on record to say that the launch of the most recent SpaceX Heavy Falcon rocket was likely to be the most difficult in the program’s history. I daresay, however, that by ‘difficult’ he wasn’t expecting any parts to, you know… actually explode.

Following the release video footage, however, we have images showing the center core exploding as it failed to make a successful landing on its ocean platform.

What Went Wrong?

It should be noted that the rocket league, on the whole, was a huge success for the SpaceX program. Particularly since it was the first test of new technology designed to make the recovery of items better in the future. In what is becoming something of a fun feature of launches, however, it’s not uncommon to see videos of the rockets successfully landing so that they can be reused again.

While both booster rockets successfully landed, the main center core didn’t have quite so much luck. As can be seen in the video below (circa 38 seconds in) the rocket veers from it’s landing pad (in the Atlantic Ocean) and eventually crashes into the sea.

Whoops!

What went wrong isn’t exactly clear. Well, at least not at the time of writing. It does, however, appear that something went very wrong with the tracking of the rocket as it made its approach to the pad. An added difficulty, of course, is the fact that the landing pad is in the ocean. A platform which, as you might expect, isn’t always flat.

This isn’t, however, the first time such a crash has occurred in the SpaceX program. In addition, this shouldn’t be marked as any significant failure. To date, it has been highly successful and even, ironically, during this specific launch.

There are, clearly, still a few bugs to work out and rocket science isn’t exactly easy. We are, however, still more than impressed with what SpaceX has acheived and, frankly, so should you be too!

What do you think? Are you a fan of SpaceX? – Let us know in the comments!