Sat, Aug 23, 2003
A Deadly Setback For S. American Space Program
A Brazilian rocket
exploded Friday when an engine was apparently ignited by mistake.
Nineteen people were killed in the blast. Twenty others were
seriously injured.
It was the fiery end to Brazil's third attempt at launching a
space vehicle from deep within the jungle. In Brasilia, Defense
Minister Jose Viegas said the explosion was caused when one of
the
rocket's four engines ignited by mistake. The blast was heard
dozens of miles away in the town of Sao Luis. "The president
profoundly laments the death of the officials at the Alcantara
base,'' President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's spokesman said.
"Brazil's space program, an important
scientific program for our country, is today in mourning.''
Almost 800 people were
preparing the $6.5 million, 65-foot rocket for its scheduled launch
next week. The unmanned rocket was to have carried two satellites
into space. Officials said the rocket was going through final
tests up to August 24, after which it would have been ready to
start the launch sequence at any point. It was sitting in a
large structure on the launch pad when the accident happened at
1:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. EDT).
Word of the accident reached the capital of Brasilia as the head
of the Brazilian Space Agency was holding a news conference with
his Ukrainian counterpart about a deal to launch Ukrainian Cyclone
rockets from Alcantara. "This sad accident should not and will
not influence relations between Brazil and Ukraine,'' said Valeriy
Komarov, the head of the Ukrainian Space Agency.
Brazil hopes Alcantara will become a major commercial satellite
launch center. The base is close to the Equator, allowing
rockets to use less fuel to reach orbit and carry larger
payloads.
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]