São Luis, Brazil
A rocket blew up on its launchpad in Brazil, killing 21 people and injuring 20 more. The dead were technicians conducting last-minute tests before the rocket, carrying two research satellites, was to be launched this week. It was Brazil’s third failed attempt to become the first Latin American country to send a rocket into space. The first crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 1997, and the second had to be destroyed by remote control after it malfunctioned minutes after takeoff in 1999. This time, one of the craft’s four engines ignited unexpectedly. “We had just done two days of tests and everything went well, 100 percent,” said Brazilian Air Force Col. Romeo Brasileiro. “Everybody is devastated.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
