US: Rocket testfire goes wrong; explodes but no injuries reported

McGregor (Texas), Aug 23: In a test flight, an unmanned SpaceX

self destructed itself shortly after launching a flight at a Texas development site.

Nobody was injured.

Spokesman John Taylor said in a statement,"the test flight involved a three-engine version of the company's reusable Falcon 9 rocket." He further added that SpaceX has been using the Falcon 9 to launch satellites and the dragon spacecraft, which delivers cargo to the international space station.

Taylor said,"During the flight, an anomaly was detected in the vehicle and the flight termination system automatically terminated the mission. Throughout the test and subsequent flight termination, the vehicle remained in the designated flight area. There were no injuries or near injuries."

A representative of the Federal Aviation Administration was present for the flight. However, the company offered no further details for the "anomaly".

Taylor further said,"With research and development projects, detecting vehicle anomalies during the testing is the purpose of the program. Today's test was particularly complex, pushing the limits of the vehicle further than any previous test."

SpaceX is likely to review the flight record to learn more about the rocket's performance before its next test flight.

OneIndia News