Explosion at NASA Flight Facility in Virginia: Cygnus Spacecraft Explodes Shortly After Launch Attempt (2805 hits)
The unmanned Antares rocket carrying the unmanned Cygnus spacecraft exploded moments after takeoff above NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, Tuesday evening. NASA and Orbital Sciences are still trying to assess the damage and understand the cause of the failure.
NASA-TV
Screenshot shows explosion in Virginia Tuesday.
The launch was scheduled for 6:22 p.m. ET and aired on a live stream of NASA-TV. The video shows debris falling to the ground.
The company said everyone at the site had been accounted for, and the damage appeared to be limited to the facilities. The Associated Press reports this is the first catastrophic launch in NASA's commercial spaceflight effort.
Flames could be seen shooting into the sky as the sun set. There was no hint of any trouble until the rocket exploded.
