SpaceX: Falcon 9 rocket explosion may have been caused by leak in helium system

SpaceX has said the Falcon 9 rocket explosion may have been caused by “a leak in the cryogenic helium system.” At the beginning of this month, the rocket exploded during a test, during which the satellite on board was also lost.

SpaceX reports that the investigation into the incident was conducted by the ‘Accident Investigation Team’, which includes the company itself, NASA and the US Air Force. In doing so, the team analyzed approximately 3,000 channels of video, audio and image data. It turned out that there was about a tenth of a second between the first signs of an anomaly and the actual explosion. An initial estimate of the data would indicate a leak in the helium system of the liquid oxygen tank in the rocket’s second stage.

However, the team has yet to determine the exact cause of the leak based on the available data. However, a connection with an explosion in 2015 can be ruled out, according to SpaceX. An inspection of the site of the explosion, LC 40 on Cape Canaveral, revealed that the surrounding infrastructure has remained largely intact. SpaceX expects to resume flights in November.

In the explosion, which took place early this month shortly before a static fire test, the Falcon 9 rocket including a satellite on board was lost. It was an Amos 6 communications satellite from Israel’s Spacecom. The organization then wanted financial compensation or a free flight from SpaceX.

Explosion of the Falcon 9 rocket