ISS-bound Rocket Explodes on Takeoff from NASA Facility
Local Editor
An unmanned rocket exploded shortly after takeoff Tuesday evening on Virginia's eastern shore. Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket was carrying thousands of pounds of equipment to restock the International Space Station.
The launch was supposed to be the third of eight planned Orbital missions to ferry gear and food to astronauts aboard the ISS. The rocket had some 5,000 pounds of food, supplies and science experiments, which all were engulfed in a fireball just above NASA's Wallop's Island facility.
The team on the ground has confirmed there are no injuries, although because of "classified crypto equipment" onboard, it is in the process of securing the surrounding area, chatter on the livestream of the launch said.
The Antares was originally supposed to lift off on Monday, but the launch was postponed 10 minutes before take-off because a sailboat ended up in the restricted danger zone south of the Virginia complex, the Associated Press reported. Controllers promptly halted the countdown.
NASA spokesman Jay Bolden said that the investigation into the explosion could take anywhere from six months to a year. The US space agency has called on local residents to report any debris they find to help with the investigation.
The cost of the launch was around $200 million, while the total cost for the cargo is yet to be determined, NASA revealed at the press conference.
Along with 32 mini-research satellites, a meteor tracker and a tank of high-pressure nitrogen to replenish a vestibule used by spacewalking astronauts, the company stowed a post-Halloween surprise for the two Americans, three Russians and one German aboard the ISS, Orbital said at a prelaunch news conference Sunday.
Also onboard the rocket was Planetary Resources' Arkyd 3 telescope prototype, which is being developed to explore space and identify natural resources from asteroids. The project was privately funded and raised $1.5 million in a 2013 Kickstarter campaign.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
