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News</span></a></div></aside><div class="article-hero-headline layout-grid-item grid-col-10-l"><h1 class="article-hero-headline__htag lh-none-print black-print article-hero-headline__htag--loading">What's the Hold-Up at SpaceX?</h1><div class="styles_articleDek__Icz5H styles_loading__FrACj styles_withImage__SSIip">It's been a rough few months for Elon Musk's SpaceX.</div></div></header></div><div class="article-hero__media-holder layout-grid-container"><div class="article-hero__media-container layout-grid-item grid-col-10-xl grid-col-push-2-xl"><figure class="article-hero__main"><picture class="article-hero__main-image"><source media="(min-width: 1000px)" srcset="https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_45/1792226/161110-nasa-spacex-mbe-430p_ea6b06bb8c83e70502b6de93ee91c78a.fit-1240w.jpg"><source media="(min-width: 758px)" srcset="https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_45/1792226/161110-nasa-spacex-mbe-430p_ea6b06bb8c83e70502b6de93ee91c78a.fit-1000w.jpg"><img src="https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_45/1792226/161110-nasa-spacex-mbe-430p_ea6b06bb8c83e70502b6de93ee91c78a.fit-760w.jpg" alt="Image: US-SPACE-AEROSPACE-NASA" height="1948" width="2500"></picture></figure></div><figcaption class="caption article-hero__caption layout-grid-item grid-col-10-xl grid-col-push-2-xl"><span class="caption__container">Space X's Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off from space launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida June 28, 2015 with a Dragon CRS7 spacecraft. The unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, following what was meant to be a routine cargo mission to the International Space Station. "The vehicle has broken up," said NASA commentator George Diller, after NASA television broadcast images of the white rocket falling to pieces. "At this point it is not clear to the launch team exactly what happened." The disaster was the first of its kind for the California-based company headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has led a series of successful launches even as competitor Orbital Sciences lost one of its rockets in an explosion in October, and a Russian supply ships was lost in April. SpaceX's live webcast of the launch went silent about two minutes 19 seconds into the flight, and soon after the rocket could be seen exploding and small pieces tumbling back toward Earth. AFP PHOTO/ BRUCE WEAVERBRUCE WEAVER/AFP/Getty Images</span><span class="caption__source">BRUCE WEAVER / AFP - Getty Images</span></figcaption></div></section><article class="article-body" data-taboola-target="read-more"><div class="article-body__grid--container"><div class="ad dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="interstitial" data-sizes="[[[0,0],[[4,4]]]]" data-refresh-interval="0" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true"></div></div><div class="article-body__section"><div class="article-body layout-grid-item layout-grid-item--with-gutter-s-only grid-col-10-m grid-col-push-1-m grid-col-6-xl grid-col-push-2-xl article-body--custom-column"></div></div><div class="article-body__section layout-grid-container article-body__last-section"><div class="article-body layout-grid-item layout-grid-item--with-gutter-s-only grid-col-10-m grid-col-push-1-m grid-col-6-xl grid-col-push-2-xl article-body--custom-column"><section class="mb7"><div class="article-body__date-source"><div class="share__container--article"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/what-s-hold-spacex-n695001" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="icon icon-facebook"></span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What's the Hold-Up at SpaceX?&via=nbcnews&url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/what-s-hold-spacex-n695001&original_referer=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/what-s-hold-spacex-n695001" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="icon icon-twitter"></span></a><a href="mailto:?subject=What's the Hold-Up at SpaceX?&body=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/what-s-hold-spacex-n695001" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="icon icon-email"></span></a><a href="sms:?&body=What's the Hold-Up at SpaceX? via nbcnews - https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/what-s-hold-spacex-n695001" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="share__sms styles_share__sms__DGxUZ"><svg width="15" height="15" viewbox="0 0 15 15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-sms"><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" fill="#2A2A2A" d="M14 11.25H3.333L0 14.583V1a1 1 0 011-1h13a1 1 0 011 1v9.25a1 1 0 01-1 1zm-9.875-4.5a1.125 1.125 0 100-2.25 1.125 1.125 0 000 2.25zM9 5.625a1.125 1.125 0 11-2.25 0 1.125 1.125 0 012.25 0zm2.625 1.125a1.125 1.125 0 100-2.25 1.125 1.125 0 000 2.25z"/></svg></a><button class="share__link-copy styles_share__link-copy__hjJp_" type="button"><span class="icon icon-link styles_icon-link__GsjHE"></span><div class="styles_share__copied-message__W1I6R"><span class="icon icon-alt-check styles_icon-alt-check__zl49O"></span>Link copied</div></button><textarea class="styles_share__copy-area__gm9tU" tabindex="-1" readonly></textarea><div class="share__save"><li class="default-save"><svg width="20" height="20" viewbox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-unauthenticated-save"><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M17.9167 19.9998V0H2.08334V20L10.0001 12.2654L17.9167 19.9998ZM3.03994 17.7437L10.0001 10.9437L16.9601 17.7435V0.934577H3.03994V17.7437Z" fill="#999999"/></svg></li></div></div><time class="relative z-1" datetime="2016-12-13T18:06:00.000Z" itemprop="datePublished" content="2016-12-13T18:06:00.000Z">Dec. 13, 2016, 12:31 PM UTC<span> / </span>Updated Dec. 13, 2016, 6:06 PM UTC</time><meta itemprop="datePublished" value="2016-12-13T12:31:48.000Z"><meta itemprop="dateModified" value="2016-12-13T18:06:00.000Z"></div><div class="article-inline-byline">By <span class="byline-name">Alyssa Newcomb</span></div></section><div class="article-body__content article-body-font--loading"><p class="">If it's any small comfort, 2016 probably wasn't the most enjoyable year for billionaire Elon Musk, either.</p><p class="">SpaceX's first manned flight to the International Space Station has been postponed until 2018, <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2016/12/12/nasas-commercial-crew-program-target-flight-dates/">NASA announced on Monday.</a></p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-container boxinlineAd dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="boxinline" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">It's another setback for Musk's space exploration company, which is hoping to blast into the new year with an ambitious launch schedule. SpaceX is hoping to return to flight in January — four months after a rocket explosion damaged its launchpad and destroyed the satellite it had been set to carry into orbit.</p><section class="inline-video inline-video--in-body"><div class="inline-video__background"><div class="inline-video__player"><div class="videoPlayer styles_videoPlayer__hWpgx styles_adNotPlaying__yQRQY"><div class="videoSlate"><a href="https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748" class="allowClicksOnPreview"><picture class=""><source media="(min-width: 1240px)" srcset="https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-860x484,f_auto,q_auto:best/MSNBC/Components/Video/201609/tdy_tom_rocket_160902.jpg"><source media="(min-width: 758px)" srcset="https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-1000x563,f_auto,q_auto:best/MSNBC/Components/Video/201609/tdy_tom_rocket_160902.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best/MSNBC/Components/Video/201609/tdy_tom_rocket_160902.jpg"></picture></a><div class="playButtonOuter absolute absolute-fill w100 dn-print"><div class="absolute absolute-fill w100 df items-center items-center-m justify-center justify-center-m"><div class="play inline-video__play-button"><svg class="play--icon" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 15 15" preserveaspectratio="xMidYMid" style="max-width:30px"><path d="M0 0v15l15-7.41z" fill-rule="evenodd"/></svg></div></div></div></div><div id="43163717689"></div></div></div></div><div class="inline-video__info"><h2 class="inline-video__title"><a href="https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748">SpaceX rocket explosion: What caused launch pad failure?</a></h2><span class="inline-video__detail"><span>Sept. 2, 2016</span><span>02:06</span></span><div class="styles_share__n3Syu inline-video__share dn-print"><div class="styles_shareExpander__hVk8d inline-video__share-expander styles_hoverEffect___Dj4s"><span class="styles_shareDot__9pfRZ inline-video__share-dot"></span><svg class="styles_shareClose__6BZxR inline-video__share-close" viewbox="0 0 15 15"><line class="styles_shareLine__EJUjO" x1="0" x2="15" y1="0" y2="15"/><line class="styles_shareLine__EJUjO" x1="0" x2="15" y1="15" y2="0"/></svg></div><div class="styles_shareList___M8wC inline-video__share-list"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748" class="styles_shareLink__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-facebook styles_shareIcon__lVnRm inline-video__share-icon"></span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=SpaceX rocket explosion: What caused launch pad failure?&via=nbcnews&url=https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748&original_referer=https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748" class="styles_shareLink__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-twitter styles_shareIcon__lVnRm inline-video__share-icon"></span></a><a href="mailto:?subject=SpaceX rocket explosion: What caused launch pad failure?&body=https://www.today.com/video/spacex-rocket-explosion-what-caused-launch-pad-failure-756734019748" class="styles_shareLink__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-email styles_shareIcon__lVnRm inline-video__share-icon"></span></a></div></div></div></section><p class=""><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/spacex-rocket-explodes-launch-pad-n641261">Related: SpaceX Rocket Explosion Destroys Facebook Internet Satellite</a></p><p class="">"We're continuing to make progress with the investigation into our Sept. 1 anomaly and we are working to safely and reliably return to flight in early January," SpaceX spokesman Phil Larson said in an emailed statement.</p><p class="">First, however, the company will have to wrap an investigation into what went wrong.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-container boxinlineAd dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="boxinline" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">The months following the Falcon 9 explosion have brought many questions and few answers as investigators seek to determine the cause. The wait was too much for one SpaceX customer, Inmarsat, which opted last week to take its business to a European competitor, Arianespace.</p><div class="recommended-intersection-ref"></div><p class="">"Inmarsat is a long-time partner, and we wish them well with their upcoming mission," Larson said.</p><p class="">The incident shows how a single anomaly can become a major setback for a space company, Jim Cantrell, Vector Space Systems CEO and a founding member of SpaceX, told NBC News.</p><div class="recommended-intersection-ref"></div><p class="">"This one was particularly devastating from an organizational perspective," he said, adding that SpaceX was hit with the "double whammy" of a damaged launch pad and losing a customer's (multi-million-dollar!) satellite.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-container boxinlineAd dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="boxinline" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class=""><strong>Related:</strong><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/new-race-build-space-based-internet-n642131"> The New Race to Build a Space-Based Internet</a></p><p class="">"These accidents are tough to come back from and it is often tough to get everybody to agree, 'this is really what happened,' and sometimes it's tough to fix it," he said.</p><p class="">SpaceX's timeline is ambitious, but they've pulled it off in the past. After their Dragon capsule exploded en route to the International Space Station, the company was sidelined for six months.</p><p class="">Orbital Sciences took a year to return to flight after its Antares rocket exploded in October 2014. NASA took years to resume shuttle flights after the Columbia explosion.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-container boxinlineAd dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="boxinline" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">The September accident has been particularly perplexing for Musk and his team.</p><p class="">On Twitter, Musk appealed for the public's help for any photos or video taken from different angles of the anomaly, which he called "the most difficult and complex failure we've had in 14 years."</p><section class="embed-widget embedWidget embedded-endmark embed-widget--medium"><div class="embed-widget__use-presentation"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation. Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years.</p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/774150065166229504">September 9, 2016</a></blockquote> </div></section></div><div class="expanded-byline-contributors articleBylineContainer mt8"><div class="expanded-byline article-expanded-byline"><div class="expanded-byline__inner mt0-m mt2"><span class="byline-thumbnail byline-thumbnail--no-image expanded-byline__thumbnail"></span><span class="byline-name expanded-byline__name ml9 ml0-m ml0-print pt1 pt4-m">Alyssa Newcomb</span><span class="byline-social expanded-byline__social f2 mt2 mt4-m ml9 ml0-m dn-print"><a href="https://twitter.com/alyssanewcomb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byline-social--link"><span class="icon icon-twitter"></span></a><a href="mailto:alyssa.newcomb@nbcuni.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byline-social--link"><span class="icon icon-email"></span></a></span></div><p class="byline-bio expanded-byline__bio mt3 mt0-m ml9-m">Alyssa Newcomb is an NBC News contributor who writes about business and technology.</p></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-container"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-item grid-col-4_5-l grid-col-3_5-xl grid-col-push-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-container dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="boxflex" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[[300,250],[300,600],[360,360],[360,720]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="10" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" data-active-tab="true"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="body-bottom-recommended"><div class="ad ad--midresponsive ad-container dn-print"><div data-mps="true" data-slot="midresponsive" data-sizes="[[[1000,1],[[700,1],[5,5]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="300" data-refresh-interval="0" data-render-on-view="true" data-targeting="{}" 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