SpaceX suffered a major setback in early September. The company's Falcon 9 rocket suddenly exploded as preparations for a test launch were being conducted at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The aerospace company has been coordinating with authorities for a thorough investigation regarding the failure of the Falcon 9 rocket. A couple of weeks after the incident, numerous rumors of a possible sabotage have been surfacing.
According to anonymous industry informants, SpaceX personnel near the SpaceX rocket spotted an unusual silhouette and white object at the roof of the building that ULA owns, near the Cape Canaveral blast-off site where the destroyed Falcon 9 rocket was being prepared for takeoff.
The rocket was an Amos-6 satellite owned by Spacecom, an Israeli company. It was bought through the partnership between Facebook and Eutelsat for about $285 million to provide African villages with internet access. The 230 feet high SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was fueled by 9 a.m. for a dry run to prepare for the final launch.
The Washington Post cited in a Sept. 30 article that the said investigation "took a bizarre twist this month when a SpaceX employee visited its facilities at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and asked for access to the roof of one of ULA's buildings."
The report suggests that SpaceX is indeed considering the possibility of sabotage from number one competitor United Launch Alliance, which is a partnership between companies Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Following a prior obstruction, the Air Force investigation team was later permitted to access the ULA facility. They reported there was nothing on the roof and that the blast occurred during a scheduled filling operation with no heat source since the engines were all turned off.
"Particularly trying to understand the quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off. May come from rocket or something else," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to his Twitter account to post and express his bewilderment as to what might have caused the unfortunate incident.
He also mentioned via Twitter that this was the "most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years" and asked NASA, AFPAA, and FAA for any support and advice that they can give regarding the breach.
ULA has not yet issued an official statement in relation to the SpaceX Falcon 9 mishap. We will keep you posted regarding this matter as events develop.
