NASA’s unmanned Antares rocket explodes seconds after liftoff
October 29, 2014
NASA officials warned people to keep away from potentially hazardous debris after an unmanned cargo rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded Tuesday over a launchpad in Virginia. No injuries were reported following the first catastrophic launch in NASA’s commercial spaceflight effort. The accident at Orbital Sciences Corp.’s launch complex at Wallops Island was sure to draw criticism over the space agency’s growing reliance on private U.S. companies in this post-shuttle era.