ISS-bound resupply rocket explodes mid-launch

The skies above the Eastern Shore of Virginia were filled with a massive fireball on Tuesday after an unmanned commercial rocket, which was supposed to bring fresh supplies to the people aboard the International Space Station, exploded just a few short seconds after it began it’s ascension.

According to The New York Times, the Antares rocket, developed by Orbital Sciences on a contract from NASA, was carrying over 5,000 pounds of fresh supplies, science experiments, and equipment when it lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia, bound for the International Space Station.

Shortly after leaving the ground, however, the rocket burst into flames before exploding into countless pieces and falling back to the ground. Frank L. Culbertson Jr., the executive vice president of Virginia-based Orbital Sciences, said that “The ascent stopped. There was some disassembly of the first stage, it looked like, and then it fell to earth.”

“It is far too early to know the details of what happened,” Culbertson said in a statement, as quoted by NBC News, adding that the rocket and cargo alone were valued at around $200 million. “As we begin to gather information, our primary concern lies with the ongoing safety and security of those involved in our response and recovery operations.”

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