There was an overpressure in the liquid oxygen tank of the Falcon 9 rocket that exploded shortly after launch on Sunday, the rocket manufacturer SpaceX founder said via Twitter.
There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 28 июня 2015
Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2015
A bad day in space! #SpaceX @dtarsgeorge @AstroMiceRule @lexcalibur100 @marsbeyond @Robotbeat @marsrader pic.twitter.com/qNvJR65RbZ
— Just A. Tinker (@John_Gardi) June 28, 2015
SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo craft was launched on Sunday toward the ISS, ferrying supplies for the astronauts working on board the space outpost.
The spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:21 am (1421 GMT), at the start of its seventh official supply mission as part of the aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company’s billion-dollar contract with NASA.
Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2015
. @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket appears to have fallen apart completely during launch
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) June 28, 2015
The next attempt to deliver supplies to the ISS will be carried out on July 3, when Russian Progress cargo ship is expected to launch from Kazakhstan.
That's all we can say with confidence right now. Will have more to say following a thorough fault tree analysis.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 28 июня 2015
In January, reusable Falcon 9 booster failed to make a soft landing and exploded as it hit the SpaceX barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
The spacecraft with 4,116 pounds of cargo was expected to dock at the ISS on June 30 and stay there for several weeks before returning with load back to Earth.
Dragon is currently the only spacecraft capable of returning cargo from the ISS back to Earth. The SpaceX Corporation is developing its manned spacecraft using the blueprint of its Dragon capsule.