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A journalist from a space education publication captured on video the explosion of an unmanned Antares seconds after it lifted off from a commercial launch pad in Virginia on Tuesday (October 28).
The footage, shot by a journalist from Zero-G News, shows the Antares rising slowly into the night sky as flames suddenly engulf the rocket from the bottom to the top about 11 seconds after lift-off, before the vehicle sinks back downward in a conflagration.
It's the first accident since NASA turned to private operators to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
The 14-story rocket, built and launched by Orbital Sciences Corp, blasted off its seaside launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility at 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT), carrying a Cygnus cargo ship bound for the space station. It burst into flames moments later, then plunged to the ground in a huge ball of fire and smoke, but authorities said no one was hurt.
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