Officials react to 'somber evening' of rocket failure

Elected officials are responding to the catastrophic failure of an Antares rocket at Wallops with statements of support and sympathy.

Among the first to make a public response was U. S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who just more than an hour after the rocket exploded said via Twitter, "My thoughts are with everyone at NASA Wallops and Orbital Sciences who worked so hard on this launch. Relieved to hear no injuries reported."

Gov. Terry McAuliffe's office also issued a statement that night, saying state and local emergency responders were on the scene and the site was secure.

"Virginia state and local emergency responders are playing a vital role in the wake of this evening's failed launch on Wallops Island," he said, adding that Virginia transportation, safety and environmental officials stand ready to assist in assessing the impacts and helping with any environmental or public safety concerns.

The statements of support were not limited to Virginia officials.

U. S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, a strong supporter of NASA Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, said she remains supportive of the spaceport and of NASA's commercial cargo mission after the disaster.

"I'm so thankful no one was hurt during last night's launch failure at Wallops Flight Facility. It reminds us that rocketry is still hard. But we must try the hard things to continue advancing science and innovation, and improving lives along the way," she said.

State Sen. Lynwood Lewis and Delegate Robert S. Bloxom Jr., who represent the Eastern Shore in the Virginia General Assembly, also issued statements after the event.

Bloxom via Facebook thanked NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Orbital, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and first responders, who he said "handled the Antares rocket explosion with such care to keep everyone safe in the minutes after the catastrophic anomaly."

"I am incredibly proud to have NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore and thank everyone involved in this tragic event for your dedication and hard work," Bloxom said.

Lewis issued a statement, saying, "I want to thank the NASA personnel, spaceport personnel and all the security staff as well as the emergency responders for all that they did during Tuesday night's tragedy to keep everyone safe."

Calling it "a somber evening" for supporters of the spaceport, Lewis noted, "We lost property, not people, and that is an important perspective to maintain."

Lewis said the immediate concern is to assess environmental damage and damage to the launch facility.

He attended a briefing at Wallops Oct. 29 about those assessments, along with representatives from NASA, MARS and Orbital Sciences Corp., Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne and Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran.

"I know that our spaceport will and must continue to have an important role in the future of commercial space flight. For those of us who were there, it is something that we will never forget and a stark reminder that space flight is not ordinary, it is extraordinary, and occasionally when engaged in an extraordinary enterprise the unexpected happens," Lewis said.

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