This video starts with an exciting countdown and quickly goes to a dramatic — if not confusing — set of circumstances yesterday where an Ariane 5 rocket’s main engine ignited, but the boosters did not. Officials say the aborted launch on March 30, 2011 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana was due to a main engine glitch seven seconds after ignition. Launch was set for 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT) yesterday, and a new launch date will be set after determining the exact nature of the malfunction. The payload includes two communications satellites which Arianespace officials say are “in a safe mode on the launch pad.”
The rocket will be sent back into a hangar where engineers can investigate the problem.
Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.
