WASHINGTON: An unnamed NASA’s cargo rocket on Tuesday night explodes just after few seconds of flight.
The Antares rocket, carrying 5,055 pounds of supplies, science experiments and equipment, lifted off on schedule at 6:22 p.m. from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.
“At this point it appears that the damage is limited to the facility,” the NASA commentator said.
NASA hired Virginia-based Orbital Sciences to fly cargo to the station after the space shuttles were retired. Tuesday’s planned flight was to be the third of eight under the company’s $1.9 billion contract with NASA.
The second US supply line to the station is run by privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, which is preparing for its fourth flight under a separate, $1.6 billion NASA contract.
“It is far too early to know the details of what happened,” Frank Culbertson, Orbital 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.
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