According to media reports, the mishap that occurred at Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia during the attempted launch of 14-storey high Orbital Sciences Corp’s Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus cargo spacecraft at 6:22 p.m. Tuesday, (Eastern Daylight time).
The private operator’s rocket was carrying 2,293 kg of supplies, science experiments and equipment for ISS crew.
The rocket appeared to burst into flames moments later, then plunged to the ground in a huge ball of fire and smoke, but authorities said no one was hurt.
The cause of the mishap was not immediately known.
There were no reports of any personnel in the vicinity of the explosion, NASA spokesman Dan Huot told media.
Associate Administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, William Gerstenmaier said, “While NASA is disappointed that Orbital Sciences' third contracted re-supply mission to the International Space Station was not successful today, we will continue to move forward toward the next attempt once we fully understand today's mishap. The crew of the International Space Station is in no danger of running out of food or other critical supplies.”
Even after the accident, NASA decided to stand beside private operator Orbital during this difficult time.
Gerstenmaier added, “Orbital has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first two missions to the station earlier this year, and we know they can replicate that success. Launching rockets is an incredibly difficult undertaking, and we learn from each success and each setback. Today's launch attempt will not deter us from our work to expand our already successful capability to launch cargo from American shores to the International Space Station.”
Orbital Sciences vice-president, Frank Culbertson said, "There was some disassembly of the first stage, it looked like, and then it fell to earth. Orbital will lead an investigation."
He asserted the company would not launch another Antares rocket until it had identified and corrected the problem. At the same time Culbertson promised to a rocket would fly again from the same site.
It has been learnt that the Dulles, Virginia based Orbital first launched Antares rocket on its maiden flight in April last year. It is one of two private companies to supply the space station.
Tuesday's launch would have been the third of eight cargo missions for the company under a $1.9 billion contract. Space Explorations Technologies Corp. of Hawthorne, California, known as SpaceX, has successfully flown four cargo missions to the space station, the most recent mission ending Saturday.
As a matter of fact, this was the first accident since NASA turned to private operators to deliver cargo to the International Space Station with an aim to reduce cost.
Media reported that the six crew members in orbit aboard the space station - two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency and three Russian cosmonauts were disappointed by the failure of the rocket.
Mike Suffredini, the space station program manager that “they have plenty of resources on orbit. ISS has enough supplies to sustain its crew through at least March 2015.”
Furthermore, just hours after the disaster Russia on Wednesday a Soyuz rocket and robotic Progress 57 spacecraft, bound for ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
The spacecraft carried nearly 3 tons of supplies for the space station's Expedition 41 crew and is expected to link up with the orbiting lab.
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