Now, the company appears ready to get back on the orbital horse with plans for its next launch set for as soon as November.

On September 1, a Falcon 9 set to carry a new satellite meant to be part of Facebook's Internet.org initiative to orbit was standing upright on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. As it was being fuelled for a static fire test, it suffered an "anomaly." In other words, it was destroyed in a huge explosion that could be seen and heard for miles around.

SpaceX put all planned launches on hold and three weeks later, preliminary results from an investigation into the cause of the explosion pointed to a rupture in the cryogenic helium system. You can find more details on the role that super chill helium plays in a Falcon 9 launch in our earlier coverage. More specifics on what exactly caused the problem should be forthcoming as the investigation continues.