Orbital CRS-3 Rocket explodes t+6 seconds
 

http://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/

No loss of life but reported considerable damage to launch pad area.

Antares rocket suffered catastrophic failure six second after launch from Wallops Island, VA.

Launch was tonight at 18:22 East time.

Was that that new capsule that is meant to supply the ISS and bring the US back into manned space flight, or was it something different?

No need top reply, it is Cygnus. German news now also covers it.

Our backward march continues... hey, Russia, can you help us with our rockets? We don't have any more German scientists from WWII.

Well...Russia could be part of the problem. As far as I understand it, these rocket engines being used in Cygnus are old refurbished engines from the Soviet N1 moon rocket program.

They have had some issues with failures during testing in the past. One for example determined to be caused by "kerosene fuel leak in engine manifold due to stress corrosion cracking of the 40 year old metal". Here's a Popular Mechanics article if you want to read more.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/scie...aunch-14991680

Chinese chips in American hightech weapons.

Russian engines in American space rockets.

What's next? Northkorean burgers at McDonalds?

We better stock up on candles, for when the grid goes down.

http://i.qkme.me/3oqotj.jpg

I had thought about getting a job at Orbital Sciences... Now I'm not so sure...

In any case, Elon Musk is no doubt stroking his white persian cat and grinning maniacally.

Yea, set up here on the Va border hoping to see a rocket launch....

The way I understand the company has decided to produce their own engine, rather buy old stocks of Soviet NK33s or new Russian RD180 series engines.

Plus they have outsourced some work on the first stage to the Southern Design Bureau in Ukraine.

Correction, it appears that booster in question was using an Ukrainian/American modified Soviet NK33 engine.

Could well be.

My understanding is that refurbished Russian engines were used.

Yes, old (1970s Soviet Lunar program) NK33 engines refurbished by Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau to the Air Jet 26 standard.

I think we can just be glad it wasn't a manned mission. It's a huge step backwards for commercial space travel, but only a step.