Skip Nav Destination
SpaceNews: Since the explosion on 1 September of its Falcon 9 rocket during a static test firing, SpaceX has been working with government and industry experts to determine the cause. According to a preliminary investigation of the debris and engineering, video, and audio data, a large breach took place in the cryogenic helium system of the second-stage liquid oxygen tank. What caused the breach is still unknown. Although Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral suffered some damage, several pieces of ground equipment were spared, including the Falcon Support Building, the liquid oxygen tanks and plumbing, and the kerosene fuel system. The 1 September explosion was the second time that SpaceX has lost a Falcon 9 rocket; the first incident occurred in June 2015 during the launch of a Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station.
![]()
SpaceX traces Falcon 9 explosion to helium tank breach Free
26 September 2016