New Footage Shows Antares Rocket Explosion From The Ground

Late last month, the unmanned Antares rocket launched. Shortly after lift-off, a problem occurred, and there was an explosion that sent the rocket back to earth. When Antares hit the ground, a second and much more jarring explosion took place, destroying the rocket and damaging much of the structure surrounding it. On the ground were a few cameras, put there to record a successful launch. Now that the cameras have been recovered, we get a first-hand shot of what a rocket explosion really looks like from near the launch pad.

Put there by Zero-G news and AmericaSpace.com, the cameras were only recently available for retrieval after the incident. The video below shows the images of both cameras spliced together, and takes us from launch to the final, explosive return to Earth.

The force of the crash and explosion was so extreme it damaged a camera lens. For comparison, we'll also include the original footage from the crash, seen directly below. The new footage is at the end of this article.

Thankfully, nobody was injured during the ordeal. Still, we get a firsthand look at the potential perils of space travel before a rocket even leaves the Earth's atmosphere. Though quite a bit of cargo was lost, and such a rocket costs quite a bit of money, no lives were lost.

Via: CNET