SpaceX: Breach in Helium System Likely Caused September Explosion

A SpaceX rocket that exploded on a launchpad in Florida earlier this month likely suffered a large breach in its cryogenic helium system, a part of its second stage liquid oxygen tank, the company said in an update Friday, citing a preliminary review of the data and the debris collected from the explosion site.

The team investigating the explosion consists of SpaceX, the FAA, NASA, the U.S. Air Force and industry experts. The Falcon 9 rocket that exploded Sept. 1 was carrying a $200 million satellite that was set to be used in part for a Facebook internet initiative.

According to SpaceX, the timeline of the explosion from the first signs of an anomaly to the loss of data is about 93 milliseconds or less than 1/10th of a second. The company said it is looking into all plausible causes and has ruled out any connection to the loss of the CRS-7 last year. Teams have continued inspections of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and surrounding facilities.

No one was injured during the explosion.

SEE ALSO:

• Watch: SpaceX Explosion at Cape Canaveral Destroys Facebook Satellite
• SpaceX Explosion Cause Still Unknown A Week Later

SpaceX was scheduled to help deliver the Amos-6 satellite into orbit on Saturday, Sept. 3. The satellite included capabilities that Facebook was going to use as part of its Internet.org project to bring internet access to remote parts of the world.

SpaceX contracts with NASA and other organizations to carry satellites into orbit or deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The company has made headlines for its reusable rockets that can blast off to space, release a satellite or payload, drop back down to Earth and land upright on a floating platform autonomously.

The company is the private spaceflight company run by Elon Musk, the billionaire tech investor who also started PayPal and Tesla Motors.

Image via USLaunchReport, YouTube

With additional reporting by Marc Torrence