What is SpaceX and what is the Falcon 9?

According to numerous reports, there has been an explosion at the SpaceX launch pad on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Associated Press is reporting that a SpaceX rocket exploded on the launch pad during a test. There has not yet been a statement from SpaceX, the private company that manufactures and launches rockets.

Report say the rocket involved could be the company’s Falcon 9. The Falcon 9 was set to launched Saturday,  carrying a satellite into space.

The explosion occurred during a static fire test of the rocket's engines, NASA told the Associated Press. The blast reportedly shook buildings "several miles away."

Officials say the explosion poses no threats to the general public, though one source said contractors were reportedly told to evacuate the area in case of dangerous fumes.

What is SpaceX  and what do they do? Here’s a quick look at the company founded by Elon Musk.

What is SpaceX

SpaceX is a private company, founded by Elon Musk,  that “designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft." The company was founded in 2002 with a stated  goal of “enabling people to  live on other planets.”

The company has three space vehicles, the Falcon 9 being one of them, and employs more than 4,000 people. It is headquartered in Hawthorne, California, and has launch pads in Florida, Texas and California.

SpaceX is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, and to dock a spacecraft – Dragon – to the International Space Station.  The Company has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to fly cargo resupply missions to the ISS, and a total of more than $10 billion in contracts for launches of commercial satellites and the NASA missions, its website says.

What is Falcon 9?

According to the company, Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX to transport satellites and Dragon into orbit. The company says it is the first rocket to be completely developed in the 21st century. It has nine “first-stage” engines, and,  in 2012, it delivered Dragon into orbit so it could rendezvous with the International Space Station. The company says the Falcon 9, along with the Dragon, was conceived and built ultimately to carry humans into space.

What does it usually do?

Falcon 9 is used to get satellites to “destinations in low Earth orbit and geosynchronous transfer orbit.”

Cox Media Group