SpaceX rocket explodes on Pad 40

[Pimander]

That was due to a faulty strut that was supposed to hold the helium containers in place.

I still can't help feeling like such a basic mistake costing possibly billions (hundreds of millions at least) can be made.  Surely the checks on checks on checks would spot this?

It would not surprise me if errors like this could be made with sabotage in mind.

[Irene]

I still can't help feeling like such a basic mistake costing possibly billions (hundreds of millions at least) can be made.  Surely the checks on checks on checks would spot this?

It would not surprise me if errors like this could be made with sabotage in mind.

I immediately thought of Apollo 13 when I read about this failure.

Many many years ago I did temp work at a wiring manufacturer that made harnesses, etc. One of the positions there was using a small machine to attach terminals to wires. If you did not place the wire precisely in position the terminal would not attach properly. Such a small mistake can have big consequences.

All it takes is one moment of production indifference to bring the whole thing down.