Feb 22 1990
From The Space Library
An Ariane rocket carrying two American-built Japanese satellites exploded over the Atlantic Ocean shortly after liftoff from French Guiana; a fire in the rocket's propulsion system was suspected to be the cause of the explosion, Ariane had a record of 17 successful flights previous to this accident; it held more than 50 percent of the international market for commercial launches. (The European Space Agency later admitted that a cloth inadvertently left in the rocket had caused the failure by blocking water sup-plies to one of its first stage engines.) (FBIS Paris AFP in English, Apr 13/90; W Times, Feb 23/90; NY Times, Feb 23/90)
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