SpaceX seeks public's help for rocket explosion probe

Spacex on Friday said it needs help from the public in its investigation of last week's launch pad rocket explosion that it labelled "the most difficult and complex failure" in the company's 14-year history.

"If you have audio, photos or videos of our anomaly last week, please send to report@spacex.com. Material may be useful for investigation," Xinhua cited the California-based comapny's tweet as saying.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket exploded on September 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida during a pre-launch test, destroying the rocket itself and a $195 million communications satellite it was carrying.

Also on Friday, Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, said on Twitter that they are "still working on the Falcon fireball investigation" and that the incident is "turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years."

It's "important to note that this happened during a routine filling operation" when "engines were not on and there was no apparent heat source," said Musk.

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by Musk, has been the face of American commercial space industry. It has been hired by the US space agency NASA to send cargoes and, ultimately, American astronauts, to the International Space Station.

--IANS

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