Blimey...antares just blew up 6 seconds into lift off....

[Blazar]

Live now on NasaTV....was expecting a normal launch, and sat to watch from t minus 5 mins...and BAM...thing fell out the sky after 6 seconds.  Beach on fire....extensive site damage by the looks of it...and more important no craft now heading to the ISS....

[Jonk]

I watched the aborted launch live on Nasa TV yesterday, and for the last 30 minutes have been watching the build up to a 2nd launch attempt tonight.

It has just dramatically failed, exploding about 5 seconds after launch.

You can watch live here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#

Here's a screen grab of the explosion:

[Jonk]

All I can say is it looked like it was tied to the ground!

Nasty though.

[Blazar]

Yer.....kind of swayed to the beach front just after lift off...looked like it just about cleared the tower... I can hear insurance companies starting to groan...

[Jonk]

Thinking about it, how much in the way of supplies to the team on the ISS have? When's the next food and water delivery due?! Not any time soon from that launch pad, that's for sure.

[starman1969]

Disaster. Nothing is routine where space is concerned. Not yet anyway.

[Cath]

ohhhh

A reminder that we need a safer way.

[Blazar]

Think there is a progress on the way (or has just arrived)....just heard no injuries so thats good.

[Blazar]

Bad stuff indeed....but no injuries....just a dent to the commercial resupply missions confidence (and some insurance companies bottom lines of course).

[Nillchill]

latest update is 

Appears that a first stage AJ-26 engine caught fire, exploded about 14 seconds after ignition and liftoff from Pad 0A, about 100m altitude

[Jonk]

Where did you read that information?

[Jonk]

Here's a video replay http://www.space.com/27575-explosion-cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-destroyed-in-critical-launch-mishap-video.html

[Nillchill]

Here is the video of the launch

youtu.be/aL5eddt-iAo 

[Ruud]

That didn't go well at all.

[Treeden]

Here's a video replay http://www.space.com/27575-explosion-cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-destroyed-in-critical-launch-mishap-video.html

That was quite shocking.  We've all seen them before, but it still makes me shudder.  The energy and sheer uncontrolled violence that is unleashed when something like this happens is quite scary. 

p.s  I ticked "Like This" but of course I only meant "thanks for sharing the video."

[Robp]

That was a big explosion, glad everyone seems to be safe and no casualties.

[JamesF]

That's really not good

Quite an astonishing piece of understatement to describe it as a "mishap" though

James

[Sandancer10]

I've just watched it on the news - shows they are out of practice since the Shuttle program ended. Don't know why they can't find a safer way of sending stuff into space instead of on top of a roman candle.

[Cath]

Don't know why they can't find a safer way of sending stuff into space instead of on top of a roman candle.

The problem is being worked on, it's going to take time to develop the technology though.

[Dave In Vermont]

I watched it live. What a mess! More here:

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

Dave

[Dave In Vermont]

I saw it live as well. Reminded me of watching the Challenger disaster in 1986. I'm about to watch the NASA press-conference on their live link:

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

A lot of things on the above linked-site. I'd suggest keeping it around.

Dave

[baggywrinkle]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/11194356/Nasa-rocket-explodes-seconds-after-lift-off.html

They blame it on a dodgy 2nd hand Russian rocket but after living n China for many years it looks more like a Chinese black powder failure.

Luckily no one was hurt...apart from NASA's wallet.

[Daniel-K]

luckily no was injured but its a stark reminder of the dangers involved in going to space http://phys.org/news/2014-10-commercial-rocket-liftoff.html

[Grotemobile]

$200 million down the pan. It does go wrong

sometimes .Expensive when it does.

Steve

[Austin]

they were a bit early for bonfire night :/