Ariane 5 Explosion
In 1995 the Ariane 5 rocket, an orbiting satellite geostationary launcher for the European Space Agency, was developed to replace its predecessor, the Ariane 4. But after several months of prep work, which included numerous tests to ensure the launch went without a hitch, the Ariane 5 rocket’s first entry into orbit failed when the rocket exploded 36.7 seconds after taking off. The disaster was the result of a programming error and it set the agency back $500 million.