The official statement of NASA said there were no injuries. The American spaceship was heading to ISS with more than 2 tons of cargo. The explosion occurred after the start at the Wallops Flight Facility (Virginia). It is reported that the accident was caused by an explosion of the Antares rocket. Its key elements are the Soviet NK-33 engines.
The fire, originated at the crash site, was put out quickly. According to some reports, the rocket site was significantly damaged because of the accident.
The Cygnus spacecraft can be used only once. It is designed in such a way that when it burns down completely after returning to the Earth. Its main purpose is cargo delivery to the ISS.
So far, the space agency has not informed about other details of the incident. NASA calls the fact that the American spaceship exploded immediately after the start a "catastrophic anomaly."
It is to be recalled that last week American spacecraft Dragon back returned from the ISS. It is designed for multiple use. Dragon is the only space truck flying to the ISS, which can return cargo to the Earth from the station.