Daily Archives: October 29, 2014

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An unmanned space station supply rocket exploded into a fireball tonight seconds after launch from Wallops Island, Virginia. No injuries were reported.

Orbital Sciences Corp. said in a Tweet shortly after the 6:22 p.m. ET explosion that there had been "a vehicle anomaly."

"This shows how difficult and maddening this business really is," Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASAs Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, said in a news conference tonight.

It was not immediately clear what went wrong with today's launch. Officials said they will begin investigating the cause at daybreak. The rocket started going awry six seconds into flight and the range safety officer sent a self-destruct command 14 seconds after that.

NASA

PHOTO: The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen in this Oct. 28, 2014 still from NASA.

This launch was the third of eight International Space Station cargo resupply missions under NASA's $1.9 billion contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Virginia. Orbital provides the launch vehicle and cargo spacecraft and NASA runs the range operations. The rocket and payload were worth $200 million and it's not known how much damage was done to the launch facility, officials said.

The Antares rocket was carrying 4,483 pounds of equipment to the station including 1,360 pounds of food. The rocket held a Cyngus cargo logistics spacecraft that was to have orbited above the Earth and was set to dock with the ISS on Nov. 2. Orbital Sciences had said this was the first use of its upgraded Castor 30XL second stage motor, which enables greater lift capacity.

NASA

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Space Station Supply Rocket Explodes on Launch

A rocket that was to resupply the International Space Station blew up Tuesday night a few seconds after lift-off from Wallops Island, Va. (NASA)

An unmanned rocket that was to resupply the International Space Station blew up Tuesday evening a few seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Va.

The Orbital Sciences rocket rose a short distance from the launchpad and then exploded in a ball of orange flames. Orbital Sciences is a private company based in Dulles, Va.

NASA confirmed that all personnel were accounted for and that there were no injuries in the explosion. However, it appeared that the explosion caused damage on the ground. Emergency personnel from nearby Virginia jurisdictions, including Chincoteague, were sent to the scene.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

At a news conference Tuesday evening, NASA described the explosion as a catastrophic anomaly.

At liftoff, rockets are filled with highly volatile fuel, including kerosene, and flight is considered risky.

Officials reiterated that any specific determination of what went wrong would take time. Witness accounts of what happened varied somewhat. Some said that the rocket appeared to catch fire within seconds after liftoff, then fell back to the launchpad and exploded.

The explosion directed new attention to the commercial space flight program. In contrast to earlier years, the commercial program involves craft that are built and operated by private companies.

Officials indicated Tuesday night that they were determined to continue with the program. An Orbital Sciences official said that when the cause is identified, we will begin the necessary work to return to flight.

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Rocket headed to International Space Station blows up seconds after liftoff