Microsoft HoloLens won't be used in space after all, at least not immediately. Two of the company's augmented reality headsets were on board the SpaceX CRS-7 unmanned rocket that exploded earlier today, two minutes and 14 seconds after takeoff from NASA's Cape Canaveral base in Florida.
As of this writing, it is not clear why the rocket exploded. The SpaceX CRS-7 mission also had 1,500 pounds of food and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station, but the people on board are in no immediate danger.
The pair of HoloLens devices were going to be used by astronauts on board the ISS to test a program called Sidekick. The idea behind the program was that people on Earth could see what an astronaut was seeing via the HoloLens. The headset could also be used to help train crew members with animated holographic illustrations that are put in place on devices in the real world.
Another pair of HoloLens devices were scheduled to be sent up to the ISS later this year that the crew will test with a network connection to Earth. The headsets were supposed to be in full use on board the station by the end of the year. Today's events will likely delay that schedule.
Source: SpaceX
