Fiery flames and plumes of white smoke engulfed a commercial supply rocket that exploded just after it lifted off the launch pad Tuesday evening in eastern Virginia.
The unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital Sciences spewed fire in what looked like an Armageddon-esque scene, causing severe damages to its takeoff location in Wallops Island. It is unclear if anyone was hurt.
The accident occurred six seconds after it launched.
The launch was live streaming on NASA’s website with many TV stations picking up the feed as well. Twitter instantly lit up with people’s shocked reactions.
“Holy Moly!! I’m in tears,” tweeted @Laurie_McGee.
“Ugh…grateful it’s unmanned,” @SouthernRedRose wrote.
For some, the explosion was a reminder of the 1986 Challenger disaster, where a space shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, killing seven crew members.
The Antares space craft was headed to the International Space Station.
