NASA Rocket Explosion News, Update: Unmanned Antares Rocket Disintegrates Few Seconds After Launch
NASA TV Broadcast confirmed an unmanned Antares rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded seconds after it lift-off from a commercial launchpad in Virginia on Tuesday, according to reports.
The 14-story rocket that was built and launched by Orbital Sciences Corp. The Cygnus spacecraft that was propped atop the rocket was carrying over 5050 lbs of cargo and supplies for the ISS. It also includes the Arkyd-3 satellite, Reuters reported.
The launch was initially scheduled for an Oct. 27 take off but had to be postponed at the last-minute yesterday due to a sail boat downrange of the launch site.
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On Oct. 28, Tuesday, the engine of the Antares rocket ignited for liftoff at exactly 6:22 p.m. EST at the Wallops Flight Facility and exploded a few seconds later. No injuries or deaths are believed to have occurred during the failure incident.
Several footages of the launch showed the rocket lift off smoothly, and then in a few meters up high, it went into a bright ball of orange-yellow flame set against a dark, starless sky.
The NASA officials described the incident as a rather "catastrophic anomaly" but as of this publication date, they still haven't released any statement explaining the cause of the explosion.
However, they reported that the team organizing the launch did not experience any warning signs prior to the take off; the weather was said to be fine and there were no other circumstances whatsoever that could have affected the operation.
The Antares rocket disaster is the latest reported tragic incident in NASA's space program.
