Suborbital rocket explodes after liftoff
Posted: Fri, Aug 22, 2008, 9:10 AM ET (1310 GMT)
An ATK-developed suborbital rocket carrying two NASA experiments exploded shortly after liftoff from Virginia Friday morning. The ATK Launch Vehicle (ALV) X-1 lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Virginia, at 5:10 am EDT (0910 GMT) Friday but exploded 27 seconds after liftoff, according to a NASA statement. The cause for the explosion is not known. According to the statement most of the rocket debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean, although there were conflicting reports about whether any debris fell on land; that debris is considered hazardous and should not be approached by the public. The ALV was carrying two experiments, one to study the hypersonic boundary layer around the vehicle and the other to test a new design for reentry capsules, provided by NASA. The launch was the first for the two-stage solid-propellant vehicle, which was designed to lead to the development of a larger version for orbital launches of small satellites.
An ATK-developed suborbital rocket carrying two NASA experiments exploded shortly after liftoff from Virginia Friday morning. The ATK Launch Vehicle (ALV) X-1 lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Virginia, at 5:10 am EDT (0910 GMT) Friday but exploded 27 seconds after liftoff, according to a NASA statement. The cause for the explosion is not known. According to the statement most of the rocket debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean, although there were conflicting reports about whether any debris fell on land; that debris is considered hazardous and should not be approached by the public. The ALV was carrying two experiments, one to study the hypersonic boundary layer around the vehicle and the other to test a new design for reentry capsules, provided by NASA. The launch was the first for the two-stage solid-propellant vehicle, which was designed to lead to the development of a larger version for orbital launches of small satellites.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Roscosmos replaces cosmonaut on next Crew Dragon mission to ISS
Posted: Sat, Dec 6 9:45 AM ET (1445 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, December 21
Eutelsat OneWeb to deploy 340 satellites in Gen-2 push; eyeing ISRO for key launches
MSN India — 5:07 am ET (1007 GMT) Space Acquisition Leaders Concerned SBIR Lapse Could Hurt Innovation Pipeline
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 5:06 am ET (1006 GMT) Rocket Lab signs huge deal with US space agency
Radio New Zealand — 5:05 am ET (1005 GMT) Rocket Lab Successfully Launches for iQPS, Ends 2025 with 21 Launches and 100% Mission Succes
Rocket Lab — 5:04 am ET (1004 GMT) Wheelchair user makes historic Blue Origin spaceflight
KTSM-TV El Paso — 5:02 am ET (1002 GMT) |
