January 17th - on this day in 1997, a McDonnell Douglas-built Delta II 7925 exploded 13 seconds after liftoff from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. One of the nine GEM 40 solid rocket boosters assisting the first stage upon ascent had suffered a catastrophic failure. The mission was to carry the first Block IIR GPS satellite, GPS IIR-1, to Medium Earth Orbit. | NASASpaceflight.com

The Delta II rocket’s first stage engine completed its burn on time and separated from the vehicle. The second stage engine is burning now. The payload fairing separated on schedule, exposing the ICESat-2 satellite to the space environment for the first time. More: https://blogs.nasa.gov/icesat2/ | NASA's Kennedy Space Center