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On Tuesday, October 28, 2014, NASA’s unarmed Antares rocket exploded. The explosion was unexpected and highly disappointing. It took place mere seconds after the rocket took off in an attempt to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
The explosion destroyed the rocket ship that was supplied by Orbital Sciences Corps at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The event caused a fireball to light up the night sky. Thankfully, with all persons safe and accounted for, no injuries or deaths came about due to this failed launch.
According to Times Network, NASA officials said on the broadcast of the launch that no personnel appeared to be in danger, and the damage to the facility appeared to be limited after the burning rocket crashed to the ground.
The agency will begin an investigation into the rocket’s failure. The Antares Rocket was scheduled to launch that Monday to deliver 5,000 pounds of cargo to the ISS, but this was postponed due to a boat that was in close proximities of the launch site in Virginia.
In 2008, NASA had awarded the Orbital Science Corporation a contract for a rocket company in order for them to demonstrate cargo delivery to the ISS. The rocket had four previous successful launches prior to this explosion.
NASA officials defined the event as a “catastrophic anomaly”. However, they have not yet found the cause of the explosion. NASA reported that the team did not experience any sort of warning signs prior to the horrific event.
According to NPR, Orbital spoke out during a press release, stating its vehicle suffered a “catastrophic failure” shortly after takeoff. There were no casualties and “property damage was limited to the south end of Wallops Island.” The reasons for the failure are still unknown.
“It is far too early to know the details of what happened,” Frank Culbertson, Orbital’s executive vice president, said in a statement. “As we begin to gather information, our primary concern lies with the ongoing safety and security of those involved in our response and recovery operations. We will conduct a thorough investigation immediately to determine the cause of this failure and what steps can be taken to avoid a repeat of this incident. As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight to support our customers and the nation’s space program.”