Industryweek 11982 Spacex1
Industryweek 11982 Spacex1
Industryweek 11982 Spacex1
Industryweek 11982 Spacex1
Industryweek 11982 Spacex1

SpaceX Says It Will Return to Flight as Early as November

Sept. 23, 2016
Blast investigation narrows in on cause.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX said it could resume rocket launches in November even though investigators still haven’t determined why a Falcon 9 craft was incinerated in a fireball.

The company eliminated any connection between this year’s mishap and a June 2015 accident in which a rocket with cargo destined for the International Space Station was lost, the company led by billionaire Musk said in a statement on its website Friday.

“At this stage of the investigation, preliminary review of the data and debris suggests that a large breach in the cryogenic helium system of the second stage liquid oxygen tank took place,” said SpaceX in the statement. “All plausible causes are being tracked in an extensive fault tree and carefully investigated. Through the fault tree and data review process, we have exonerated any connection with last year’s CRS-7 mishap.”

SpaceX said that “substantial areas” of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, were affected but that another pad -- known as 39A -- should come online in November.

“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,” said SpaceX.

By Dana Hull

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

How Manufacturers Can Optimize Operations with Weather Intelligence

Nov. 2, 2023
The bad news? Severe weather has emerged as one of the biggest threats to continuity and safety in manufacturing. The good news? The intelligence solutions that build weather ...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!