The Wallops Incident Response Team completed an initial assessment of the Antares rocket explosion, according to NASA. The incident occurred after takeoff at 6:22 p.m. on Oct. 28 in Wallops Island, Virginia.
"I want to praise the launch team, range safety, all of our emergency responders and those who provided mutual aid and support on a highly-professional response that ensured the safety of our most important resource -- our people," said Wallops director Bill Wrobel. "In the coming days and weeks ahead, we'll continue to assess the damage on the island and begin the process of moving forward to restore our space launch capabilities. There's no doubt in my mind that we will rebound stronger than ever."
This assessment is just a quick look at what happened. NASA says it will take "many more weeks to further understand and analyze the full extent of the effects of the event." Support buildings surrounding Pad 0A have broken windows and imploded doors. A rocket launcher near the pad suffered the most damage, according to NASA.
The Wallops team also met with a group of state and local officials and have observed that "the environmental effects of the launch failure were largely contained within the southern third of Wallops Island, in the area immediately adjacent to the pad."
Air samples were immediately collected from the mainland, the Highway 175 causeway and on Chincoteague Island. Nothing hazardous has been detected and there appears to be no noticeable effects on wildlife or fish, according to NASA.
The northern part of Wallops Island will be reopened for the U.S. Navy to head back to work. Anyone who finds debris or has property damage due to the failed launch is expected to stay away from it and call the Incident Response Team at 757-824-1295.
