"It is the worst disaster in the history of the American space program." ABC News coverage from this day in 1986, when seven astronauts died as the space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. https://abcn.ws/310q57b | ABC World News Tonight with David Muir

On Jan. 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch. After launch, a booster engine broke apart, according to NASA. Just 73 seconds into the flight, the space shuttle exploded in midair, breaking apart. It has been a subject of dispute whether all seven astronauts died from the explosion or whether some of them may have been alive until they fell to the ground. It was the first time NASA lost an astronaut during a flight. https://7ny.tv/