Amos-6 (2016)
A satellite destroyed on its launch pad in 2016, two days before launch, the textbook case of pre-launch risk.
A launch policy attaches at intentional ignition, not before: anything that happens to the satellite during shipping, integration and ground testing falls under a separate cover, known as pre-launch, often bought for lower limits. Amos-6 was destroyed in exactly that window, while the launcher was being fueled ahead of a static fire test, before any intentional ignition had taken place. The accident showed that the ground phase now concentrates considerable value, because satellites stay mated to the launcher longer and tests are run with the payload on board. It also exposed an operator's dependence on a single launch provider, which had to stand down for more than four months. Investigations of this kind fall under the anomaly investigation clause, which governs the insurer's access to the technical findings.
On September 1, 2016, a SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded during fueling on Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40, two days before the scheduled launch, destroying Amos-6, a satellite owned by Israeli operator Spacecom; Beijing Xinwei's 285 million dollar acquisition of Spacecom, which was contingent on the launch, fell through.
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