The Antares rocket that exploded on liftoff near Wallops, Virginia on October 28th did about $20 million worth of damage to the launch facility, which is owned by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority.
While Friday morning's successful Orion launch and splashdown gave us a hopeful glimpse into the potential future of human space flight, the Antares explosion reminded us all how volatile the whole process can be, and that we can never take it for granted. Twenty one people have died in the name of science, either space vehicle testing, launch, or re-entry prior to landing.
The damage survey at Wallops revealed that two of the facility's four lightning towers had been toppled. They also found broken windows and imploded doors at support buildings at the site. Thankfully, water and soil samples collected at the site after the explosion revealed no contamination by the explosion. The repair estimates also said the repairs will take about a year to complete.