Investigators sift through Antares rocket wreckage to find answers

World Today

Officials are currently investigating what caused the $200 million unmanned Antares rocket to explode moments after its launch from Virginia on Tuesday.

The Antares rocket was carrying 2,000 kilograms of cargo and was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, a NASA contractor that delivers supplies and research materials to the space station.

In Tuesday’s mission, Antares was carrying more than 600 kilograms of food, however officials said the space station has enough provisions aboard to last until March 2015. NASA has said that no one was hurt in the explosion.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation will lead the investigation of the rocket explosion, which happened at the Wallops Island launch facility in Virginia. The weather was clear at the time of the launch, and there were no indications of technical malfunctions until the explosion. Investigators will shift through the wreckage to find out what happened.

In the past 57 years, seven NASA space missions have crashed on the launch pad, or seconds after liftoff.

CCTV America’s Jim Spellman reports.