Shares in Orbital Sciences Corp have fallen faster than its Antares rocket in US pre-market trading overnight, dropping as much as 16 per cent after its mission to the International Space Station exploded spectacularly seconds after launch.
The unmanned rocket was taking 5,000 pounds of supplies to the space station, but exploded shortly after it took off at a launchpad in Virginia.
The good news is no-one was injured, although this is the first major failure since Nasa started outsourcing its missions to private companies, which also include SpaceX, the company founded by Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The unmanned rocket was taking 5,000 pounds of supplies to the space station, but exploded shortly after it took off at a launchpad in Virginia.
The good news is no-one was injured, although this is the first major failure since Nasa started outsourcing its missions to private companies, which also include SpaceX, the company founded by Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk.