An Antares rocket from Orbital Sciences Corporation exploded upon liftoff from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. The launch was a catastrophic failure with significant damage to the launch facility. No personnel were injured.
The rocket was carrying a Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft destined for the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft carried 5,050 pounds (2,290 kilograms) of supplies, including science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts, etc. It was the fifth flight of the Antares rocket and fourth deployment of a Cygnus spacecraft.
The Antares rocket was also carrying 26 mini Dove satellites from Planet Labs of San Francisco.
