14-storey rocket heading for ISS explodes into a huge fireball seconds after takeoff

  • NASA
The rocket exploded seconds after liftoff Credit: APTV

An unmanned 14-storey rocket headed for the International Space Station exploded into a huge fireball seconds after liftoff on Tuesday evening in Virginia.

No one was hurt in the explosion, which marks the first accident since NASA began using private operators to deliver cargo to the ISS.

The Antares rocket blasted off its launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility at 10.22 GMT (6:22 p.m. EDT) carrying a Cygnus cargo ship. NASA TV captured the footage of it exploding moments later.

Orbital Sciences, which built and launched the rocket, initially describred the incident as a "vehicle anomaly" and saw its stock fall 15.5 percent to a two-month low of $25.65 in after-hours trading.

The firm said in a statement: "We've confirmed that all personnel have been accounted for. We have no injuries in the operation today."

NASA mission commentator Dan Huot said that the cause of the accident was not immediately known, while NASA launch control said that the damage caused by the explosion appeared to be limited to the launch facility and rocket.

The unmanned ISS-bound Antares rocket turned into a huge fireball Credit: APTV

Launch of the rocket had been delayed by one day after a boat sailed into a restricted safety zone beneath the rocket's intended flight path.

NASA launch control said damage appeared to be limited tothe launch facility and rocket.

The Antares rocket has been launched successfully on four previous missions.

The aftermath of the explosion in Virginia Credit: APTV

Ronda Miller, manager of the Ocean Deli in Wallops Island, said that she felt the force of the blast from the eatery, about 5 miles from the launch pad.

"We were standing outside waiting for it to launch and we saw bright red, and then we saw a big black cloud, and it shook the whole building where we work at," Miller said. "And then I came back in to work and seen fire trucks going every which way."

"We will conduct a thorough investigation immediately to determine the cause of this failure and what steps can be taken to avoid a repeat of this incident," Frank Culbertson, Orbital executive vice president, said in a televised statement. "As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight to support our customers and the nation’s space program."

Robert Massey, deputy executive secretary at the Royal Astronomical Society, explains that space is still a "risky business":