01/09/2016 Newsround

Hi, everyone, Ricky here with all your news this

Thursday afternoon.

First up, a rocket has exploded at the launch pad at

the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The company say no-one has been hurt but we don't know

why the blast happened.

Smoke is still coming from the site and the blast shook

buildings several miles away.

Nasa say SpaceX were planning to use the rocket to take a satellite

into space this weekend, but the satellite

has been destroyed.

Next, over to these incredible mammals and the uncertain

future they face.

In the last seven years, 30% of Africa's elephants

have disappeared.

Every year, it's thought around 30,000 are lost -

many of them killed for their ivory tusks.

For two years, a massive project called the Great Elephant Census has

flown above 18 countries in Africa to see how many

are left in the wild.

The drop in numbers is thought to be due to poaching - that's

when elephants are hunted for their meat and tusks.

BBC reporter Alistair Leithead is at an elephant sanctuary

in Kenya and sent us this.

It is feeding time at the moment for the baby elephants.

A lot of their mothers were killed by poachers, and that is why

they end up here, to be looked after and eventually reintroduced

to the wild.

Joining me here is Edwin, the head keeper here.

About half of these elephants were orphaned because of poaching?

Yes, about half of them, and others, have been killed by poachers,

and that is why we had to bring them in.

So that we can give them another chance to survive.

One of them almost knocked the cameraman over while we were

doing that interview a second ago.

If the poaching rates go on, then half the elephants in Africa

will be gone in just nine years' time.

That is a very depressing future.

There's less than one week to go until the Paralympic Games kick

off in Rio in Brazil.

One of the British stars going for gold is wheelchair

tennis player Gordon Reid.

He's hoping to add a Paralympic medal to the Wimbledon title

that he won earlier this year.

Martin has been to meet him.

The Paralympics is a different story.

You represent your country, you're part of a big

Paralympics GB team.

I always feel a bit more inspired, a bit more motivated

when wearing the GB shirt.

Hopefully, I can get up on top of that podium with

the national anthem.

One of the things I love the most about the sport is that it

translates really easily, from someone playing on their feet

to someone playing on their chair.

Playing the same court, playing the same size net,

the same scoring system...

The only difference is, I get two bounces of the ball.

So, it's dead easy to play with someone who is on their feet.

You can play with your family and your mates.

You have had such a successful year ? Melbourne, Wimbledon...

It has always been a dream of mine to play singles at Wimbledon,

so to go there and have that opportunity after a few years

of playing doubles there was special.

And then, obviously, to be the first-ever

winner on home soil, the support and atmosphere

from my friends and family there, I think it was heard

around all the grounds, never mind just on our court.

I have heard a few stories from some of the guys who were at the Olympics

about some of the conditions and the organisation.

So I am kind of going in with low expectations and then,

if it runs smoothly, it will be a nice surprise for me.

There's always a bit of negative chat before any Games.

The Olympics as well.

And, OK, not everything ran perfectly, but they still staged

a pretty successful event, in my opinion.

You know, there were still some great moments made.

Some great performances, especially from Team GB.

So, you know, it is just trying to go out there,

focusing on myself as the athlete, and focus my performance.

Our division is really competitive.

I think there's probably six or seven players in the men's

division who could win gold.

My aim is to try and win two golds - singles and doubles.

Gordon, if you win a gold medal, will you cry?

I probably will!

I was just about crying watching Andy Murray up there,

never mind if I was up there myself!

And check this out for a doggy day-spa.

It's a dog massage parlour!

Yep, these dogs are getting the five-star treatment

in a new pet hotel in Taiwan.

She looks like she's enjoying that!

The people behind the hotel are offering massage classes

to owners and say it really helps to build the relationship

between pooch and human and gives them both a real treat.

That's all from me.

Newsround's back right here tomorrow morning at 7.40am.