SpaceX engineers are Uschi Karnatmaking progress in the investigation of what the company's founder Elon Musk called the "most difficult and complex failure" in the company's history.
Those investigating the Sept. 1 explosion of one of the company's Falcon 9 rockets have traced the accident to a "large breach in the cryogenic helium system" in the second stage of the rocket, according to an update posted by SpaceX Friday. However, the cause of the breach is not yet known.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 accident — which took place while the rocket was stationary on its pad just before a test — destroyed the AMOS-6 communications satellite, a spacecraft that was going to be leased, in part, by Facebook for the social network's initiative aimed at bringing Wi-Fi to the world.
SEE ALSO: SpaceX explosion is causing some to question Elon Musk's ambitious plansSpaceX also claims that the data review conducted through the course of the still ongoing investigation has shown that the explosion has no connection to the issue that caused another Falcon 9 explosion in 2015.
The company has also established an ambitious timeline getting their rockets back in the air.
"Pending the results of the investigation, we anticipate returning to flight as early as the November timeframe," SpaceX wrote in the update.
If SpaceX does start flying Falcon 9s again in November, that would amount to just a three-month grounding of the rockets, far shorter than the six months it took for the company to return to flight after the 2015 accident.
The root cause of the accident may also change the amount of time SpaceX has to stand down from launching. If the issue is related to the rocket itself, it's possible the redesign and testing process would force a more extended grounding, while if the problem is traced back to the pad, it might be a quicker fix, industry experts have said.
The investigation itself isn't easy.
The team of experts from NASA, SpaceX, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force and the aerospace industry hunting for the root cause of the accident has been sifting through videos, audio and photos of the explosion to figure out what happened.
"The timeline of the event is extremely short — from first signs of an anomaly to loss of data is about 93 milliseconds or less than 1/10th of a second," SpaceX stated.
"The majority of debris from the incident has been recovered, photographed, labeled and catalogued, and is now in a hangar for inspection and use during the investigation."
SpaceX is also in the process of analyzing the state of its Launch Complex 40 site, which was damaged during the explosion in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as it works toward getting another launch site, Launch Complex 39A, into working order for November.
SpaceX has a vested interesting in getting its rockets flying as soon as possible post-accident.
The spaceflight company had an incredibly full launch manifest ahead of this explosion, with 18 missions expected to launch in 2016.
SpaceX is also expected to start flying humans to the International Space Station under a contract with NASA at some point in the next year or so, adding to the company's already full plate. Plus, Musk is planning to give a speech next week detailing his ideas about how humans could colonize Mars.
"Getting back to flight safely and reliably is our top priority, and the data gathered from the present investigation will result in an even safer and more reliable vehicle for our customers and partners," SpaceX wrote.
Topics SpaceX Elon Musk
Time to Unite
The Oxford comma debate gets Maine drivers $5 million
Models are posing in Hobby Lobby photoshoots
'Fifty Shades Freed': Every character is terrible at their job
The best day to book your flight, according to Google
'Stranger Things' Shannon Purser got a sweet message from her barista
Snapchat now has 187 million daily active users
Everything you need to know about 5G
Tennessee vs. Kentucky 2025 livestream: How to watch March Madness for free
How Siri trolled me when I asked the HomePod to play 'Spider
Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
These startups pitch in freezing water to get sweet, sweet funding
This video of a debut author unwrapping her first novel is super adorable
Kylie Jenner, MKBHD, Chrissy Teigen question Snapchat's redesign
Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple AirPods 4 with ANC deal
Due to fraud, LL Bean ends lifetime returns, blames social media
Everything you need to understand the Uber
These startups pitch in freezing water to get sweet, sweet funding
The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
Man claims his Apple AirPods exploded while at the gym
Gucci serves 'Game of Thrones' realness on the runway with KhaleesiThe 10 best HBO Max originals12 best tweets of the week, including Taco Bell, adult baby diaper driver, and BingusRivian R1T first reviews are in: A quick, quiet electric truck made for exploring natureOlympic announcers feel more about U.S.' crossU.S. men's curling team make history and take home first gold medal'Squid Game' is a pastel nightmare with a lot to sayParkland student activists get real on 'The Ellen Show'Hmm, here is some very disturbing nail art based on Kylie Jenner's baby's handAmazon Glow is a kidFord to replace windshield, reRivian R1T first reviews are in: A quick, quiet electric truck made for exploring natureMcDonald's attempts to pander to youth with very confusing memeRenegade squirrel almost dies in Olympics snowboarding competitionHow parents can talk to kids about residential schoolsGoogle just took visual search to a whole new levelA Bitcoin miner is buying power plants to mine crypto now'Side Eyeing Chloe' sells for less than other meme NFTs...but why?As schools reopen, traumaScoring 'Sable' took Japanese Breakfast into a whole new world Facebook ad scam tricks users with images and video of Kickstarter products 17 perfect gifts for a zero waste holiday All the best and worst looks on the Oscars 2017 red carpet 'Noelle' delivers relentless Christmas chaos for Disney+: Review Report: Americans don't trust companies to admit data misuse Stop throwing coins into ponds, this sea turtle ate a whole bunch and needs surgery People want to #DeleteUber after its last tweet in the Philippines Everything you need to know about Motorola's foldable Razr smartphone Aurora's self Beyoncé's mom accidentally went live on Instagram and we have so many questions Verizon's Stream TV can't stream Netflix Here's how Ryan Gosling reacted to that wild Best Picture twist Apple's maxed out 16 Brie Larson, like everyone else, didn't seem thrilled with Casey Affleck's Oscar win Hulu + Live TV is now $55 so you might as well just get cable Hate crime murders rose in 2018, according to new FBI data Hulu's ‘Dollface’ depicts female friendship at its most basic: Review Nicole Kidman is a great actress and a terrible clapper and that's okay Colbert skewers Trump with a parody of that New York Times ad Disney XD sprinkles a same
2.6062s , 8225.7109375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Uschi Karnat】,Fresh Information Network