An unmanned Antares rocket was set to launch this evening from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, but the event ended in an explosion seconds after it began. An investigation is underway. [UPDATED]
The Washington Post reports the rocket lost its momentum and fell toward the ground before exploding not long after its 6:30 p.m. EST launch. The facility was said to be damaged, but no one appears to be injured, thankfully.
The rocket had more than 5,000 pounds worth of supplies for the International Space Station, including provisions, science experiments and spare parts. It was supposed to launch Monday night, but that was scrubbed when a small sailboat entered its range.
Orbital Sciences, the maker of the rocket, had this to say on Twitter:
Yeah, no shit.
UPDATE 9:24 PM ET: During NASA's press conference, the agency said that no personnel were injured and that the crew on the ISS still have ample supplies (6-8 months worth) as a contingency for just such an event. - DL
UPDATE 9:52 AM ET (WED): Here's a view of the explosion seen from a Cessna plane, via Planelopnik.
Hat tip to Ray Wert for the YouTube link