SpaceX Can Continue Launching Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Despite Accident

SpaceX can continue launching its rockets despite the recent accident on a launch pad. Two alternative platforms are available for this, which can also be used to launch Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

The news came in the wake of Thursday’s accident in which a Falcon 9 rocket went up in flames during a test. The launch pad SLC-40 was also damaged. As a result, there were fears that SpaceX would have to abort its upcoming launches, but SpaceX has two alternatives: there is another launch pad available in Florida and also one in California.

On its website, the space company states that the two alternative launch pads can be used for the Falcon 9, which is SpaceX’s “standard rocket”. The platforms can also be used for the Falcon Heavy, a more powerful version that is currently under development. This will allow SpaceX to meet its contractual obligations in the near future.

Whether that also means that SpaceX will continue to use its planned launch schedule is not clear. An investigation into Thursday’s accident is currently underway. The first findings show that there were abnormalities in an oxygen tank, causing a sea of ​​flames in a very short time. The Falcon 9 rocket and its payload, the Amos 6 communications satellite, were lost.