Launch pad explosion is 'most difficult and complex' failure in SpaceX's 14 years
SpaceX's launch pad explosion last week that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and a communications satellite is turning out to be the "most difficult and complex failure" the company has had in its 14 years, Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted early Friday morning.
In a series of tweets, Musk shared some details about the ongoing investigation into the fireball, which occurred Sept. 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The explosion occurred as the rocket was being fueled for a standard pre-launch static fire test ahead of an expected weekend launch on Sept. 3. SpaceX said last week that data indicated the "anomaly" originated around the upper-stage liquid oxygen tank.
No one was injured in the explosion, though it destroyed a $200 million communications satellite that was set to play a key role in Facebook's plans to provide Internet access to remote villages in Africa.
Musk said Friday morning that the engines were not on at the time and that there was "no apparent heat source."
The company, he said, is especially interested in "trying to understand the quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off," he tweeted. "May come from rocket or something else."
_Los Angeles Times
