Fireball horror at UK’s new spaceport after ‘anomaly’ causes rocket to blow up
A rocket erupted into a fiery spectacle at the UK’s new SaxaVord Spaceport last night due to an “anomaly.”
The test, conducted by German firm Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), ended in a dramatic fireball. The company confirmed that no one was injured and they are currently “assessing the situation”.
In a statement, RFA said: “On Monday evening, RFA conducted a hot fire of its first stage at their launch site at SaxaVord Spaceport.”
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“This resulted in an anomaly that led to the loss of the stage. No one was injured in the process. The launch pad has been saved and is secured, the situation is under control, and any immediate danger has been mitigated. We are now working closely with SaxaVord Spaceport and the authorities to gather data and info to eventually resolve what happened.”
(Image: BBC)
“We will take our time to analyze and assess the situation. We develop iteratively with an emphasis on real testing”, reports the Mirror.
“This is part of our philosophy and we were aware of the higher risks attached to this approach. Our goal is to return to regular operations as soon as possible”.
A representative for SaxaVord commented: “This was a test, and test campaigns are designed to identify issues prior to the next stage.”
(Image: PA)
“We will work with RFA to understand and learn from the causes and support them as they move forward to the next phase of their preparations.”
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