Zuckerberg disappointed As Spacex Failed Launch Destroys Facebook Satellite

Mark Zuckerberg's trip to Kenya on Thursday unfortunately coincided with SpaceX's launch failure that destroyed Facebook's satellite that was key to his plan to beam free Internet to remote parts of Kenya.

 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded at 6:00 am Kenyan time on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida during a test, destroying it and its payload, the private space firm said. 

 "As I'm here in 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," wrote the Facebook founder on his page. 

However, Mr Zuckerberg remained optimistic that his ambitious plans were not ruined, pegging his hope on new technology, Aquila. 

 "Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well. We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided," added the social network billionare. Aquila is a solar-powered plane that Mr Zuckerberg plans to use to beam free Internet to remote parts of the world, including in Africa. 

 SpaceX rocket explodes at launch site in Florida On June 28, Facebook completed the first successful test-flight of Aquila in Yuma, Arizona.

 "Our original mission was to fly Aquila for 30 minutes, but things went so well that we decided to keep the plane up for 96 minutes. We gathered lots of data about our models and the aircraft structure and after two years of development, it was emotional to see Aquila actually get off the ground," beamed Mr Zuckerberg in a post online.