Antares Failure Raises Questions About Vehicle's Future

摘要

The explosion of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket seconds after liftoff Oct. 28, destroying a Cygnus cargo spacecraft, will likely have a modest near-term effect on NASA and international space station operations, but a far greater one on the future of the Antares itself. The Antares rocket lifted off from Pad OA at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, at 6:22 pm EDT Oct. 28. No technical problems had been reported during the countdown, and the initial seconds after liftoff appeared to be no different from the previous four Antares missions. However, within 15 seconds after liftoff, video of the launch showed the plume from the Antares' first-stage engines suddenly brighten, followed by an explosion at the base of the rocket. The rocket fell back to the ground near the launch pad, triggering an even larger explosion that destroyed the vehicle and Cygnus spacecraft, and damaged the pad.