A supply rocket carrying cargo and experiments to the ISS exploded shortly after liftoff. NASA and Orbital Sciences (the company operating the rocket) have not released any information about what may have caused the incident, pending further investigation.
The mission was unmanned, and all personnel are safe and accounted for. The extent of the damage to the launch facility has not yet been determined.
Phil Plait, author of the Bad Astronomy blog speculates that the 60s-70s era refurbished Russian engines the vehicle used will come under heavy scrutiny.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday October 29 2014, @07:25PM
Are there even any new rocket designs or are we recycling old stuff from the "golden Age of Space Exploration"?
My understanding is that SpaceX's rockets are new designs, not just recycled old designs. (They draw on older designs the same way a brand-new car engine draws on engine technology of the past century, but it's still a new design.)