A unmanned rocket carrying 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station exploded shortly after blastoff on Tuesday at NASA’s facility on Wallops Island, Va.
The rocket was made by Orbital Sciences, which was contracted by NASA to ship supplies up to the International Space Station.
On Twitter, Orbital said there had been a “vehicle anomaly.”
A live feed provided by NASA showed the Antares rocket taking off and then a few seconds later, a fiery descent, culminating in an enormous explosion.
If you remember, after NASA ended its space shuttle program it signed a deal with two private companies to resupply the International Space Station. Per Space.com, Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA for eight cargo missions through 2016. SpaceX has a 12-mission, $1.6 billion deal with NASA.
Antares made its first successful flight in April 2013. The mission today was supposed to be Antares’ third commercial resupply mission to the ISS.
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