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The BBC are reporting an explosion at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where SpaceX company was readying a rocket for launch.
The cause of the blast is not clear and it is not known if anyone was hurt. Nasa said SpaceX was test-firing a rocket which was due to take a satellite into space this weekend.
Pictures from the scene show a huge plume of smoke rising above the Cape Canaveral complex.
The force of the blast shook buildings several miles away.
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* m2 stares at the monitor... it looks like a hamburger...
m2 - that's a bad sign
(Score: 5, Informative) by captain_nifty on Thursday September 01 2016, @08:18PM
When a rocket is "assembled" at the launch site it is a little more complicated and permanent than just plugging in some cables and strapping down the satellite. It is a process that takes weeks and involves semi permanent welded connections. After all of the work is done on the rocket is when they start checking literally everything including the main engine systems, like the failed test here. Putting a dummy load on for the test would just add more work on the rocket after the test to ready it for launch, increasing the chances of a problem occurring, or requiring a new test.