An unmanned commercial rocket that was supposed to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station exploded Tuesday, six seconds after liftoff from a NASA launch pad in Virginia.

The privately owned rocket barely got off the ground before it blew up just after sunset on Wallops Island, off the Atlantic coast.

There was no one on board and no one on the ground was hurt.  All the damage was limited to the so-called hazard area.  Officials say the investigation has already begun.

The rocket was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation.  It was carrying a cargo ship stocked with more than two tons of food, experiments and other supplies for the space station.

NASA official William Gerstenmaier says launching rockets is a really tough and demanding business, but that NASA has confidence in the company.

Gerstenmaier says no cargo critical to the lives of the space station crew was lost.  He also said the crew has plenty of food and is in no danger.

Orbital Sciences is one of two private companies NASA hired to fly cargo ships into orbit after the space shuttle fleet was retired in 2011.

Some information for this report comes from AP and Reuters.
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