Photograph: Screengrab/NasaA rocket carrying supplies for the International Space Station exploded six seconds after it was launched at Nasa's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Tuesday night, sending a massive fireball into the sky.
The rocket, known as the Antares, carried an unmanned cargo ship loaded with 5,000 pounds of supplies such as food, tools, parts and experiments. The launch had already been once delayed after a sailboat entered its range on Monday night. Tuesday's weather made for good launch conditions of clear skies and light winds, and it's unclear what could have disrupted the launch and caused the explosion.
A Nasa spokesperson told CNN there was 'No indicated loss of life [but] significant property and vehicle damage.'
To guard against the dangers of a failed launch, the Nasa facility maintains a launch hazard area of about 1,400 square miles around the site.
The rocket's maker, commercial spaceflight company Orbital Science, which has a $1.9bn contract with Nasa to make eight missions to ferry supplies to the International Space Station, would have completed its third delivery with this launch. Since the US space agency retired its fleet in 2011, private companies and cooperation with its Russian counterpart have assisted with missions into space.
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Sign up for the daily email Entities 0 Name: Nasa Count: 4 1 Name: Virginia Count: 1 2 Name: US Count: 1 3 Name: Antares Count: 1 4 Name: Orbital Science Count: 1 5 Name: CNN Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1Dm0cup Title: Private Antares Rocket to Launch Cargo to ISS Tonight : DNews Description: A commercial supply ship bound for the International Space Station is ready to launch from the Eastern Shore of Virginia tonight (Oct. 27), and you can watch it live. If you live on the U.S. East Coast, you might even catch a glimpse of the rocket with your own eyes.
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