SpaceX rocket exploded due to faulty steel strut, Elon Musk says
by Sam Thielman in New York from on (#EXTG)
- Preliminary investigation blames two-foot-long, one-inch-thick piece of metal
- Next version of SpaceX rocket will not be tested until spring 2016, CEO says
A two-foot-long steel strut only an inch wide at its thickest point was to blame for last month's midair explosion of an unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, according to a preliminary investigation. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, said on Monday that the part, provided by an external supplier he declined to name, was "not something that should ever have failed at this force level".
Related: Nasa SpaceX mission to International Space Station ends in explosion
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