BREAKING NEWS

Satellite owner says SpaceX owes it $50 million or a free flight

Israel's Space Communication Ltd said on Sunday it could seek $50 million or a free flight from Elon Musk's SpaceX after a Spacecom communications satellite was destroyed last week by an explosion at SpaceX's Florida launch site.

Officials of the Israeli company said in a conference call with reporters Sunday that Spacecom also could collect $205 million from Israel Aircraft Industries, which built the AMOS-6 satellite.

SpaceX did not immediately reply to a request Sunday morning for comment about Spacecom's claim. The company is not public, and it has not disclosed what insurance it had for the rocket or to cover launch pad damages beyond what they were required to buy by the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial U.S. launches, for liability and damage to government property.