Space Station Supply Rocket Explodes on Launch

[Buster's Uncle]

Space Station Supply Rocket Explodes on Launch
ABC NEWS via World News  Oct 28, 2014, 7:30 PM ET



An unmanned space station supply rocket exploded tonight six seconds after launch from Wallops Island, Virginia.

Orbital Sciences Corp. said in a Tweet shortly after the 6:22 p.m. ET explosion that there had been "a vehicle anomaly. We will update as soon as we are able."

The cargo rocket was supposed to launch Monday night, but that had to be scrubbed because a boat was too close to the "hazard zone" near the launch site. It was not immediately clear what went wrong with today's launch.



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 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.


http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/space-station-supply-rocket-explodes-launch/story?id=26524926