® Photo Courtesy of Derek Clarkston / Kodiak Daily Mirror
A military safety team will be conducting the clean up at the Kodiak Launch Complex after an explosion Monday, August 25.
At around 12:25 am Monday morning a rocket carrying an experimental army strike weapon exploded seconds after takeoff.
The flight test was a part of the Defense Department’s Conventional Prompt Global Strike technology development program, testing the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon from the Kodiak Launch Complex.
It was conducted by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Army Forces Strategic Command. According to witnesses, the rocket lifted off but quickly nosed down and either self-destructed or hit the ground and exploded.
The Department of Defense has said an anomaly was detected ad the flight controllers blew up the rocket for safety reasons.
That military safety team will be cleaning up unexploded rocket fuel and other potentially dangerous debris like broken sheet metal siding, shattered windows, and damaged roofs.
Program officials are conducting an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the flight anomaly.
The Kodiak Launch Complex is about 25-miles from the city of Kodiak.