WATCH: Antares Rocket Carrying Supplies To International Space Station Explodes After Liftoff
WALLOPS ISLAND, Virginia (CBS13/AP) — A rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded shortly after takeoff on Tuesday.
The rocket was unmanned, and no fatalities have been reported on the ground. The company says no one was believed to be hurt and the damage appeared to be limited to the facilities.
Orbital Sciences Corp.'s unmanned rocket blew up over the launch complex at Wallops Island, Virginia, just six seconds after liftoff.
The Cygnus cargo ship was loaded with 5,000 pounds of gear for the six people living on the space station. It was the fourth Cygnus bound for the orbiting lab; the first flew just over a year ago.
The launch was delayed a day after a boat was spotted in the vicinity of the launch.
On the flight was also a Santa Rosa experiment by students on whether shrimp could be hatched and grown in microgravity. The shrimp would be used as a potential protein source for longterm flights.
NASA is paying the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences and the California-based SpaceX company to keep the space station stocked in the post-shuttle era. This is the first disaster in that effort.
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