Facebook's satellite for Africa destroyed by SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket's explosion (Watch Video)...

On Tuesday, when Mark Zuckerberg Founder and CEO of Facebook visited Nigeria, we reported that Facebook was planning to launch a satellite on space to expand its internet.org initiative in Africa.

But it seems that the launch after all might not take place. Hours after he made his visit to Kenya, Zuckerberg took to his Facebook page and reported that SpaceX rocket launch failure destroyed Facebook's satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across Africa.

"I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was in Africa promoting the satellite's benefits, in a post on his Facebook page.

"We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided," stated Zuckerberg.

Facebook had planned to use some of the satellite's capacity to expand its Internet.org initiative in Africa. CEO Mark Zuckerberg who is currently in Kenya,was promoting the satellite's benefits ahead of the upcoming launch.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its pad during a test this morning at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

According to Florida Today Website, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said around 1 p.m. that a failure occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a test-firing of its main engines, part of preparations for a planned early Saturday launch of a commercial communications satellite in which Facebook had a stake.

"Originated around upper stage oxygen tank," Musk said on Twitter. "Cause still unknown. More soon."

Earlier, SpaceX confirmed that the Amos-6 communications satellite owned by Spacecom, an Israeli company, also was destroyed.

Facebook had partnered with French company Eutelsat, which also planned to use the Amos-6 satellite to expand broadband Internet access in sub-Saharan Africa.

The accident comes just over a year after SpaceX suffered its only in-flight failure by a Falcon 9, about two minutes into a launch of International Space Station supplies for NASA.

By Lilian Mutegi

-Allafrica.com