CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Frayed electrical wiring was to blame for last year's $1 billion explosion of a Titan 4 rocket that carried a spy satellite, the U.S. Air Force said on Friday.

The powerful rocket and its top-secret cargo blew apart in the skies above Cape Canaveral on Aug. 12, 1998, in one of the most expensive space disasters in history.

A U.S. Air Force Space Command accident investigation board said the damaged wiring caused a short circuit that left the rocket's guidance systems without power for a fraction of a second.

The 20-story booster lost its sense of direction, tipped over and exploded in a shower of rocket fuel just 41 seconds after launch. At the time, the Titan 4 was travelling close to the speed of sound at an altitude of 17,000 feet.

"Electrical shorts in the ... wiring harness most likely caused the vehicle to catastrophically fail," the Space Command said in a statement. "The board found clear and convincing evidence that wire insulation damage existed."

For the first time, the Air Force confirmed that the mishap cost more than $1 billion. It said the Air Force and Lockheed Martin, the rocket's builder, have "taken actions to address the findings of the investigation."

Two Titan 4B rockets, a newer version than the 4A model that exploded, currently are being prepared for launch from Cape Canaveral, although the Air Force has yet to set any launch dates.

"We are proceeding with preparations, but are awaiting final approval to launch," an Air Force spokesman at Cape Canaveral said.

The spy satellite destroyed in August's explosion was being launched for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and, according to space experts, was to have listened in on foreign government and military communications in global hot spots.

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