Quote Originally Posted by Takeovers View Post
Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
I can only assume that you're taking the piss or you missed the big boom at 0:23.
That's exactly it. Not an explosion. Or otherwise that transporter/erector, the tower right beside the rocket would be blown away, it wasn't. Looks like an explosion, right? The only thing that may count as an explosion, is what happened when the payload hit the ground.

Little consolation though, the pad is devastated, the TE probably also beyond salavage. But the worst is, pinpoint the reason. Before knowing exactly what happened and then make sure it won't happen again, no rocket will fly, from this or another pad. There are plenty of launches planned from Vandenberg, California. The customer is urgently waiting for them to go, but they won't.
Well everyone is reporting it as an explosion.

An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases.

If it walks like a duck....