Musk Believed a Sniper Took Out a Falcon 9 Rocket in 2016, Report Claims

In 2016, a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a bedewed formal rehearsal, creating a monolithic shot of occurrence that destroyed an onboard satellite. The crushed for the eruption was unclear astatine first, starring to 1 of the wildest theories successful spaceflight past that seemingly got the feds involved.

In Reentry, a publication astir the aboriginal years of SpaceX, seasoned abstraction newsman Eric Berger explores the details of the Falcon 9 anomaly. The crushed for the nonaccomplishment was not instantly obvious, starring SpaceX engineers to make respective theories. One mentation floated by engineers was that a sniper had fired astatine the rocket, triggering the explosion. Berger precocious shared caller details astir this chaotic sniper theory, revealed done a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The detonation took spot connected September 1, 2016, astir 9 a.m. ET. The Falcon 9 rocket was being prepped for a regular static occurrence trial astatine Space Launch Complex 40 astatine Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, erstwhile it abruptly burst into flames. The anomaly destroyed its onboard payload, the Amos-6 communications satellite.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the institution scrambled to find an explanation. SpaceX laminitis and CEO Elon Musk was drawn to the sniper theory, naturally, truthful helium ordered employees to analyse it further. A helium vessel exploded during the 2016 bedewed formal rehearsal, truthful SpaceX engineers attempted to recreate the blast successful consequent tests. To that end, they fired astatine helium tanks to spot if they would rupture and what the resulting detonation would look like.

Musk’s evident paranoia had besides led him to judge that SpaceX’s rival astatine the time, United Launch Alliance, was down the explosion. Employees told Berger that, nether Musk’s direction, they were asked to spell implicit to a gathering leased by ULA astir a mile from the motorboat tract and cheque the rooftop.

According to Berger, SpaceX pursued the mentation for astir a period earlier the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent the institution a missive stating that nary gunman was involved.

Berger acquired the FAA missive done a FOIA request, which revealed that SpaceX had submitted video and audio of the incident, on with its ain analysis. “SpaceX suggested that successful the company’s view, this accusation and information could beryllium indicative of sabotage oregon transgression enactment associated with the on-pad detonation of SpaceX’s Falcon 9,” the missive read. But it didn’t halt there—SpaceX further escalated the substance by informing the Federal Bureau of Investigation successful Florida of the company’s theory, according to the letter. The Tampa Field Office of the FBI investigated the incidental and recovered nary foul play.

Instead, it was aboriginal revealed that SpaceX engineers had loaded the rocket’s pressurized tanks with super-chilled helium excessively quickly, yet starring to the explosion.

The incidental occurred erstwhile SpaceX was inactive an up-and-comer successful the spaceflight scene, and the nonaccomplishment of its rocket and payload dealt a dense stroke to the company. Fast guardant 9 years later, and Musk’s rocket institution is an manufacture person portion immoderate of its earlier competitors, ULA included, person fallen behind.