The moment the US Antares missile exploded upon leaving the launch pad.

The Antares rocket, scheduled to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS), exploded a few seconds after liftoff in Virginia.

According to the BBC, Antares is a 14-stage rocket designed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and is the third contract between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the aforementioned corporation. This rocket carries approximately 2,200 kg of cargo for six astronauts aboard the ISS.

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"We hope to find the cause of this explosion and get things back on track as quickly as possible," said Frank Culbertson, Vice President of Orbital Sciences.

"We've seen this happen before, and we've seen teams quickly overcome those accidents, and it will be the same this time," said Culbertson.

Mr. Culbertson also said that thankfully no one was injured and an investigative team is reviewing all the data to determine the cause, and that the on-site investigation began on the morning of October 29.

While the investigation will not yield immediate conclusions, it will focus on the AJ-26 engine used to propel the missile from its launch pad.

“The AJ-26 engine is essentially a variant of the engine developed by the Soviet Union for the N-1 rocket used for lunar exploration. Although it has been improved to meet modern standards, one engine exploded during testing earlier this year,” BBC correspondent Jonathan Amos reported.

This explosion could severely damage the launch pad and the entire missile launch support system. This means that even if the cause of the incident can be identified early, it will be a long time before Antares missiles can be launched again.

Source: VOV