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RAW: Antares Rocket To International Space Station Explodes After Launch
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RAW: Antares Rocket To International Space Station Explodes After Launch - Video

Antares launch explosion - October 28, 2014 - [Full] [HD]
NASA #39;s Antares rocket, headed to the International Space Station, exploded shortly after launch Tuesday night. The rocket was unmanned, and NASA officials said no personnel appeared to be...

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Antares launch explosion - October 28, 2014 - [Full] [HD] - Video

Antares rocket explodes on lift-off
The launch occurred on schedule at 1822 ET from NASA #39;s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. It was the third U.S. commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station by Orbital Sciences...

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Antares rocket explodes on lift-off - Video

NASA Antares Rocket Explodes During Launch At Wallops Island VA
Me filming the local news station and talking here near Wallops Island. You can hear fire engines everywhere. Today #39;s International Space Station Re-Supply mission crashed to the ground...

By: WhatsUpInTheSky37

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NASA Antares Rocket Explodes During Launch At Wallops Island VA - Video

Last Updated Oct 29, 2014 3:34 AM EDT

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- An Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket making only its fifth flight exploded seconds after launch from the Virginia coast Tuesday, erupting in a spectacular fireball and destroying an uncrewed Cygnus cargo ship in a disheartening failure for NASA's commercial space station resupply program.

The mishap occurred about 15 seconds after liftoff from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility as the 139-foot-tall two-stage rocket climbed away on the power of its two Russian-built first-stage engines.

"We have ignition... and we have liftoff of the Antares Orb 3 mission to bring Cygnus on its third (resupply) mission to the ISS," said NASA's launch commentator as the Antares lifted off. "Main engines at 108 percent, attitude nominal."

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CBS space consultant William Harwood reacts as he watches the explosion just after liftoff in Virginia of an unmanned cargo rocket carrying supp...

At roughly that moment, the exhaust plume suddenly intensified, followed an instant later by a detonation of some sort at the base of the rocket. The booster, engulfed in flames, then slowly fell back to Earth, exploding in a titanic conflagration as its remaining liquid oxygen and refined kerosene propellants ignited in a huge fireball.

At impact, flaming debris shot away into the night sky like a fireworks display, some of it presumably from solid propellant used in the rocket's second stage. Scattered fires erupted around the launch pad and a towering cloud of smoke climbed into the night sky.

While property damage appeared extensive, Orbital officials said there were no injuries.

It was not clear watching video replays of the launching what might have gone wrong, whether it involved one or both Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 first stage engines or some other system.

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NASA: No danger to space station after supply rocket blows up

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Orbital Sciences Corp.s unmanned rocket blows up over the launch complex at Wallops Island, Va., just six seconds after liftoff Tuesday. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

ATLANTIC, Va. An unmanned commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded moments after liftoff Tuesday evening, with debris falling in flames over the launch site in Virginia. No injuries were reported following the first catastrophic launch in NASAs commercial spaceflight effort.

The accident was sure to draw criticism over the space agencys growing reliance on private U.S. companies in this post-shuttle era. NASA is paying billions of dollars to Orbital Sciences and the SpaceX company to make station deliveries, and its counting on SpaceX and Boeing to start flying U.S. astronauts to the orbiting lab as early as 2017. This was the fourth flight by Orbital Sciences to the orbiting lab.

The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket blew up over the beachside launch complex at Wallops Island. The company said everyone at the site had been accounted for, and the damage appeared to be limited to the facilities. And nothing on the lost flight was urgently needed by the six people living on the 260-mile-high space station, officials said.

Flames could be seen shooting into the sky as the sun set.

Orbital Sciences executive vice president Frank Culbertson said things began to go wrong 10 to 12 seconds into the flight and it was all over in 20 seconds when what was left of the rocket came crashing down. He said he believes the range-safety staff sent a destruct signal before it hit the ground.

Bill Wrobel, director of NASAs Wallops Flight Facility, said crews were letting the fires burn out late Tuesday and set up a perimeter to contain them in the darkness.

This was the second launch attempt for the mission. Monday evenings try was thwarted by a stray sailboat in the rockets danger zone. The restrictions are in case of just such an accident that occurred Tuesday.

Culbertson said the top priority will be repairing the launch pad as quickly and safely as possible.

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Space station supply rocket blows up on takeoff

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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