Follow the key events of the Antares rocket’s ascent into orbit from launch pad 0A at Wallops Island, Va., carrying a Cygnus supply ship with cargo for the International Space Station.
An Orbital Sciences Antares rocket exploded seconds after launch from the Virginia coast Tuesday, erupting in a spectacular fireball and destroying the company’s third operational Cygnus cargo ship in a disheartening failure for NASA’s commercial space station resupply program.
NASA officials say the International Space Station’s logistics chain was designed to absorb a launch failure like the mishap that destroyed an Orbital Sciences Corp. cargo craft in October, but pressure is on SpaceX to deliver supplies on time this year.
The moment an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket exploded moments after lifting off carrying a Cygnus cargo craft bound for the International space Station.