TITUSVILLE, FL — SpaceX is facing criticism again after a successful Falcon 9 launch. This time the complaint isn't the environment or safety protocols. It's that the rocket was launched directly into a raging inferno.
Witnesses along the Indian River described the rocket climbing through a towering column of flames, seemingly defying physics and common sense. Videos flooded social media. "Is Elon Musk trying to turn Earth into a giant marshmallow?" one viewer posted.
Others feared for the payload. "This is a blatant disregard for human life and the environment," said a spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Rockets (PETR). "It's only a matter of time."
SpaceX engineers explained that the fire was the engines. All rockets do this. It is how rockets work.
"It's not rocket science, people," Musk posted. "Fire is hot. Rockets make fire. Therefore rockets are hot. Basic thermodynamics."
PETR has since filed a complaint about every rocket launch since 1957 and is preparing a second one about the Sun.
