Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02), the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for NASA, released the following statement on Tuesday’s failed launch of an unmanned commercial rocket that was headed for the International Space Station:
“I join with the space community in expressing my disappointment at the failed launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket last night. Many people worked tirelessly to make this launch a success and while the outcome is unfortunate, I am thankful there were no injuries as a result of the explosion. I am confident that NASA and Orbital will conduct a complete and thorough investigation into the reasons for the launch failure, learn from what went wrong, and make the necessary corrections to continue to move forward with the next attempt.”