Last month's SpaceX Falcon 9 failure was caused by a faulty strut, the spacefaring company revealed. The component was one among many used to hold down helium pressure vessels within the liquid oxygen fuel tank.
"This is the best of what we know thus far," CEO and chief designer Elon Musk said in a press conference as reported by The Verge.
"We emphasize this is an initial assessment, and further investigation may reveal more over time."
The strut, a steel rod measuring two feet long and an inch thick, has reportedly flown in previous Falcon 9 flights before without a hitch. Designed to handle up to 10,000 pounds of force, it broke at just 2,000 pounds of force.
As to why the strut broke in the first place, Musk said it's still unknown. He did speculate that the material was probably faulty. When it did break, the SpaceX boss said "the helium tanks released a lot of helium into the upper-stage liquid oxygen tank."
This put too much pressure on the tank which ultimately led to the SpaceX Falcon 9 failure.
The mishap, which Musk called "a huge blow" to the company, is the first after a string of successful launches over seven years. Because of this, Musk said SpaceX has become "complacent," according to Space.com. Nevertheless, he said it will be something his company will learn from.
"I think this is an important lesson, and something we're going to take with us into the future."
In the meantime, the 44-year-old tech entrepreneur said SpaceX will be testing each and every one of the struts used in Falcon 9 flights. The company may also look for a new supplier.
The June 28 Falcon 9 rocket explosion was on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX was awarded a contract to conduct commercial missions to the ISS.
Despite the SpaceX Falcon 9 failure, NASA affirmed its support for the spacefaring company. Analysts are also confident that it will bounce back sooner than expected despite a delayed launch schedule following the explosion.
