Two space launch workers burned at Calif. base
(AP)—Two workers for a company that launches spacecraft for the U.S. government were seriously injured in an electrical explosion at Vandenberg Air Force Base on the California coast.
The United Launch Alliance said in a statement that the two employees were transferred Monday to a Los Angeles hospital that specializes in treating burn victims.
The Santa Maria Times reports the two were working Saturday at Space Launch Complex 6, where a Delta IV rocket is being prepared for an August launch, when an "arc flash" occurred.
An arc flash happens when electric current leaves its intended path and travels through the air to another conductor.
Officials gave no further details on the cause or circumstances.
The names and exact jobs of the workers who were injured have not been released.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.