Elon Musk Calls SpaceX Falcon 9 Explosion Most “Difficult and Complex” Failure Ever

Even Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is perplexed by the recent explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket.

The explosion, which occurred earlier this month and destroyed a $200-million Facebook satellite, was described today by Tusk as “the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had.” He noted that the explosion occurred “during a routine filling operation,” meaning the engines were not on “and there was no apparent heat source.”

US investigators are looking into the situation, pulling together a team from the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Air Force.

In August, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon rocket, which sent supplies to the International Space Station. SpaceX has so far returned five boosters from space.

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