| Brazilian Rocket Explosion |
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The explosion leveled the rocket's launch pad, reducing a 10-story high structure to a pile of twisted metal. Dozens of kilometers away, residents of the city of São Luís were able to hear the blast. The rocket had been scheduled to launch in just a few days' time and had two Satellite s onboard when the explosion occurred. After the explosion, the Brazilian Space Agency was criticized for using Solid-fuel Rocket s, which are easier to build and ignite than Liquid-fuel Rocket s, but also dangerous because they lack Throttle controls and Emergency Shut-off s. The incident has caused a significant delay to the Brazilian space program because of government inquiries as well as the fact that many Scientist s and Engineer s who worked on the program died when the rocket blew up. The VLS-1 V04 was scheduled for launch in 2006 , but the need for two separate Stage testing postponed it, probably to 2009. By then, the VLS-2, now renamed Alfa (with a liquid-fuel third stage), may be ready. See also References
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