Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis summoned the heads of Israel's space industry for an emergency meeting Sunday, following the destruction of the Amos-6 communications satellite in an explosion during a static test fire. The satellite, built by Israel Aerospace Industries and operated by Israeli company Spacecom, was destroyed Thursday when an explosion engulfed a Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket during a routine test at Cape Canaveral Airbase in Florida. The blast came just ahead of the launch of the Amos-6, planned for Saturday. Israel Aerospace Industries will have to pay Spacecom some $173 million in damages, as well as cover any additional expenses connected to the explosion. The satellite had a $330 million insurance policy. The Israel Space Agency said Friday that it would "continue to support the space industry in Israel with the goal of keeping it at the forefront of technology and preserving Israel's critical independence in the area of satellite communication." SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement that there were no injuries, but that an "anomaly" during the static test fire had led to the loss of the rocket and the satellite. Last December, SpaceX reportedly upgraded the Falcon 9 to enable usage of cryogenic oxygen in lower temperatures. Lower temperatures result in decreased oxygen during heating and combustion. On Dec. 18, Musk wrote on Twitter that "deep cryo increases density and amplifies rocket performance. First time anyone has gone this low for O2." There is no proof that the change was the reason for the explosion; however, until the cause of the malfunction is discovered, it will be difficult to make any further changes to the rocket without objection from customers, who do not want to lose their expensive payloads.
