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[i]An effort to save time may have also contributed to the loss of the payload on this Falcon 9, the Amos-6 communications satellite. Falcon 9 static fire tests in the past have not always included the satellite payload, waiting instead to install the satellite after the test, but now payloads are more commonly installed on the rocket prior to the test. Doing so, industry sources say, cuts a day from launch processing schedules. The pad explosion also raises questions of what constitutes a “launch failure.” While both the rocket and payload were lost in the accident, the explosion took place during preparations for a test, rather than the launch itself, and before the main engines ignited. In a non-scientific poll of SpaceNews readers, nearly 55 percent believed the incident should be classified as a launch failure as of late Sept. 2. That definition is more than just an intellectual curiosity. Because the explosion took place before the “intentional ignition” of the Falcon 9, the loss of the satellite is not covered by launch insurance. Spacecom, the satellite’s owner, did have a separate insurance policy on the satellite to cover pre-launch activities.[/i]
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