Beverly, Massachusetts: June 28, 2015 – This morning’s mishap involving SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle is an important reminder that spaceflight remains challenging and that occasionally accidents may occur. SpaceX had previously conducted six successful resupply missions to the International Space Station (“ISS”). Unfortunately, today’s loss of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and the unmanned Dragon resupply capsule is an ill-timed blow to the ISS program, which was working to recover from the loss of two previous cargo flights (one by Russia and the other by Orbital Sciences).
Fortunately, there is no immediate threat to the crew of the ISS, as according to NASA sufficient provisions remain on-hand to support the crew through at least October. Further, several other resupply missions are scheduled to take place before the end of the year. As noted by Chris Carberry, Chief Executive Officer of Explore Mars, Inc., “The recent failures of resupply vehicles for the ISS validates NASA’s approach to store significant supplies on the ISS and to rely on a number of different launch vehicles. We at Explore Mars have no doubt that SpaceX will quickly recover from this temporary setback and return to flight as it continues to forge a path to Mars.”
About Explore Mars
Explore Mars was created to advance the goal of sending humans to Mars within the next two decades. To further that goal, Explore Mars conducts programs and technical challenges to stimulate the development and/or improvement of technologies that will make human Mars missions more efficient and feasible. In addition, to embed the idea of Mars as a habitable planet, Explore Mars challenges educators to use Mars in the classroom as a tool to teach standard STEM curricula. Explore Mars, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
