Private spaceflight company SpaceX is investigating their latest blunder, which ended in spectacular fashion.
An unmanned Falcon-9 rocket carried out one of its goals successfully, launching a satellite into orbit Sunday, but things went downhill from there. The bigger goal for the flight was to try to land the rocket upright, an ongoing challenge that experts say could revolutionize space travel. As the rocket descended onto a floating landing pad in the Pacific, one of its legs failed to latch onto the platform, and it toppled over, exploding on impact.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says ice buildup due to condensation from heavy fog at liftoff may be to blame. It was the fourth time the company has failed trying to land a rocket at sea.
