Daylight Reveals Post-Antares Damage At Wallops

NASA’s Wallops Incident Response Team has reported on its initial assessment following the catastrophic failure of Orbital Science’s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff on Oct. 28, from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The report, backed up by the clearly visible damage seen in this aerial view, shows damage to the transporter erector launcher and lightning suppression rods, as well as debris around the pad. It also reveals a large water-filled crater (just visible above the right hand end of the large white storage tank) where the main impact occurred as the vehicle fell back to earth and exploded. The lighter scorched area close to the crater is thought to be the remnants of the burned solid propellant from the vehicle’s upper stage. NASA adds that “a number of support buildings in the immediate area have broken windows and imploded doors. A sounding rocket launcher adjacent to the pad, and buildings nearest the pad, suffered the most severe damage.”

The agency adds that preliminary observations are that the environmental effects of the launch failure were largely contained within the southern third of Wallops Island.