A rocket being tested by the Elon Musk-owned aerospace company SpaceX was destroyed in a launch pad explosion in Florida on Thursday, along with an Israeli communications satellite the rocket was carrying on board.

The Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Xinwei Telecom Technology Group is buying Israeli satellite operator SpaceCom for $285 million, representing the latest of several recent Chinese purchases of Israeli companies and technologies.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced that an Israeli-made AMOS-6 satellite will be launched in 2016 to bring the Internet to the poorest parts of the world, and a look at how Israel is solving the global water crisis.