BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — As investigators work to determine what caused a powerful rocket explosion Thursday night, it’s a reminder of another significant launch pad incident in recent memory.
A similar blast occurred nearly a decade ago, also during a rocket test.
The last time a rocket exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral was on Sept. 1 2016, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket erupted in a massive fireball during a routine pre-launch test.
The explosion happened as the rocket was being fueled ahead of a planned mission.
The blast sent a towering cloud of fire and smoke into the sky and could be seen for miles across Florida’s Space Coast.
Despite the dramatic destruction of the rocket and its payload, no one was injured because the area had been cleared during testing.
Federal investigators later determined the failure involved a high-pressure system in the rocket’s upper stage that ruptured during fueling operations, triggering the explosion on the pad.
The incident temporarily halted SpaceX launch operations from that pad for months while repairs were completed and safety procedures were reviewed.
Launches eventually resumed after major upgrades were made.
Experts say launch pad testing remains one of the most dangerous phases of any space mission.
Rockets are fully fueled, engines are ignited on the ground, and enormous forces are contained in a tightly controlled environment.
As with the current Cape Canaveral investigation, officials emphasize that these tests are designed to identify problems before a rocket ever reaches space.
For residents along Florida’s Space Coast, the sight, and sound, of a launch pad explosion is rare, but unforgettable.
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