Sabotage Speculation Gathers Around SpaceX Explosion
October 3rd, 2016Via: CNBC:
Rumors of potential sabotage are gathering around the investigation of the explosion during a recent SpaceX launch test.
SpaceX has been investigating the early September failure of a Falcon 9 rocket that caught fire and exploded on a Cape Canaveral launch pad just days before it was scheduled to launch.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that the inquiry has taken a “bizarre twist,” suggesting SpaceX is considering sabotage a possible cause of the explosion. According to the Post, a SpaceX employee sought access to facilities belonging to SpaceX competitor United Launch Alliance — a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
SpaceX investigators came across something suspicious when reviewing video of the failure—”an odd shadow and then a white spot” on the roof of a ULA building, according to the Post. A SpaceX employee seeking access to the building was turned away, but Air Force investigators later dispatched to the facility did not find anything on the roof.
SpaceX sent a statement CNBC saying that a “preliminary review of the data and debris suggests a breach in the second stage’s helium system” on the Falcon 9, “but the cause of the breach is still unknown.”
Space X Rocket Explosion Details and Commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0EOENUw0c