NASA and Wallops Investigate Cause and Effects of Antares Rocket Explosion

After the catastrophic failure of the Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff on Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Wallops Incident Response Team have completed an initial assessment. While it will take some time before they fully understand what happened, they do have some ideas as to what caused the failure.

Shortly after liftoff, the Antares rocket exploded. Carrying more than 5,000 pounds worth of scientific instruments, food and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the space station, the rocket actually was destroyed after an operator hit a self-destruct button. It was apparent that there were problems with the launch and in order to avoid further complications, operators decided to terminate the launch in order to control it.

"I want to praise the launch team, range safety, all of our emergency responders and those who provided mutual aid and support on a highly-professional response that ensured the safety of our most important resource-our people," said Bill Wrobel, Wallops director, in a news release. "In the coming days and weeks ahead, we'll continue to assess the damage on the island and begin the process of moving forward to restore our space launch capabilities. There's no doubt in my mind that we will rebound stronger than ever."

The initial assessment found that the environmental effects of the launch failure were largely contained within the southern third of Wallops Island, in the area immediately adjacent to the pad. In addition, the Wallops' industrial hygienist found no hazardous substances from the launch at sampled locations.

This assessment is just a cursory look, and it will take many more weeks to further understand and analyze the full extent of the effects of the event. That said, it seems as if damage from the incident is mostly contained for the time being.

For further updates on the ongoing investigation, you can visit NASA's website.