On Sept. 1, at 9:07 a.m. ET, SpaceX's uncrewed Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad. While there were no injuries, the rocket and the Amos-6 satellite it was carrying were destroyed, and the launch pad was severely damaged.
SpaceX has launched an investigation into the cause of what happened. The company's CEO Elon Musk was largely silent about the incident until early Friday, when he posted a series of tweets, saying it had been "most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years."
SEE ALSO: SpaceX rocket explodes on pad ahead of testAccording to Musk, the explosion happened during a "routine filling operation" in which the "engines were not on and there was no apparent heat source."
Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation. Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2016
Important to note that this happened during a routine filling operation. Engines were not on and there was no apparent heat source.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2016
Musk asked everyone, and especially NASA, the FAA and the AFPAAS, for support and advice. He asked for any recordings of the event to be sent to [email protected].
Adding to the mystery surrounding the incident, Musk also said he's particularly interested in the "quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off," which "may come from rocket or something else."
Particularly trying to understand the quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off. May come from rocket or something else.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2016
The internet accepts your challenge, Elon.
The latest official update on the explosion from SpaceX dates Sept. 2, saying the company has begun "the careful and deliberate process of understanding the causes and fixes for yesterday's incident." SpaceX promised to post regular updates on the progress of the investigation.
