SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket explosion: news, updates, analysis

On Thursday, September 1st, one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The incident occurred as SpaceX was preparing the vehicle for an upcoming launch, which would have sent the Israeli communications satellite Amos 6 into orbit. To see if the Falcon 9 was ready for the mission, the rocket was about to undergo a static fire test — in which the main engines are turned on while the vehicle is constrained. But as propellant was being loaded into the Falcon 9 for the test, an explosion occurred around the upper portion of the rocket. Follow along here for the latest news about the accident as SpaceX tries to figure out what went wrong.

Gaze in awe at Elon Musk’s historic 156-foot erection

In usual Musk fashion another project has been delayed.

Musk had always promised to get his rocket up for all to see, but the plan was delayed In because the factory is so close to Hawthorne Municipal Airport and the FAA was worried about the flight risk. It will join the company’s first Dragon capsule to make it back to earth on permanent display, although that hardware is stored inside the facility.

Stop Saying Elon Musk

SpaceX Attempted Monopoly

The most bitterly contested issue in Senate floor debate of the National Defense Authorization Act this year was whether the Department of Defense would be allowed to continue using Russian rocket engines to lift national-security satellites into orbit. The engines, called RD-180s, provide first-stage thrust for Atlas launch vehicles built by United Launch Alliance, a […]

Here’s the Thing About Tesla That Most Reminds Jim Chanos of Valeant

It’s deja vu. Jim Chanos just used the V-word. CNBC reported this morning that the famed short-seller, who was early in spotting problems at energy disaster Enron, says Tesla Motors TSLA 0.92% reminds him a lot of certain troubled drug company: Valeant Pharmaceuticals VRX 1.13% . Tesla, Chanos noted, has seen eight executives leave the […]

Tesla Did Not Disclose Autopilot Death Before $2 Billion Stock Sale

Joshua Brown fatally crashed into a tractor trailer turning in front of his Tesla Model S on autopilot almost exactly two months ago, but we only found out about it on Thursday evening. That’s when Tesla first told the public about the crash, nearly two months after they sold $2 billion in stock. What’s surprising, […]

Stop Elon From Failing Again

THE ONE STOP DATABASE ON STOPPING ELON MUSK