The first close-up footage of the ill-fated launch attempt of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket has just been released, nearly a month later. It's terrifying.
Recall that the NASA Antares rocket exploded in mid-air six seconds after liftoff from Virginia, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). It was carrying an unmanned spacecraft, food and supplies. The Antares rocket was operated by the private company Orbital Sciences.
But the October 28 launch didn't go well, America Space explains:
Immediately after the accident, the launch complex was sealed off, and Orbital Sciences Security was called in. At the scene of the incident, the Response Team (IRT) seized all data – such as photos, videos, etc. that could help with the accident investigation. This is a standard procedure in the aftermath of the accident, and for this reason the data was not released earlier. Some scenes were shown, but not all, as all the footage was seized for the investigation.
To be honest, it's almost a miracle that the cameras around the launch site weren't destroyed by the massive explosion.
Elliot Severn, a frontline photojournalist, reports:
The rocket seemed to hang in the air and flames started to shoot out, it was like watching a train derail in slow motion. It hit a pillar and exploded on impact. We could feel the heat on our faces from 1.5 miles away.
The reporter managed to survive and shows us video from 4 cameras around the launch pad. One of the cameras was right in the middle of the explosion, and you can see pieces of debris flying around it.
Watch the video
