NASA’s Antares rocket blows up on launch 7 Photos . Updated: 29 Oct 2014, 12:47 PM IST Livemint NASA's unmanned Antares rocket, on its way to the International Space Station, exploded just seconds after lift-off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. 1/7The Antares cargo rocket exploded six seconds after its take-off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island in Virginia. Reuters 2/7The launch appeared to be perfectly normal, until there was what appeared to be a first stage engine failure, after which the rocket came down crashing and exploded. AP 3/7The explosion mid-way. Reuters 4/7Orbital Sciences Corp.’s $200 million Antares rocket launch was part of $1.9 billion private contract to launch cargo to space station. It was carrying a Cygnus spacecraft ferrying about 5,055 pounds of supplies, science experiments and equipments for the space station. AP 5/7Flames shooting in the sky after the explosion. A self destruct command was sent to the Antares rocket before it hit the ground. No casualties were reported by the company. Reuters 6/7Spectators in Chincoteague, Virginia, watch the fireball from the explosion. The Antares rocket was due to be visible across the East Coast on its way to the International Space Station. AP 7/7The launch was part of a program in which NASA has hired private companies to ferry cargo to the space station. Tuesday’s launch would have been the third of eight cargo missions under a $1.9 billion contract. Reuters