It's a cliche but also true: rocket science is hard. And it's been a difficult year for Orbital ATK, the American company that designs and builds small- and medium-sized rockets. In October, 2014, the company's Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus spacecraft exploded 15 seconds after launching, and the company has been dealing with the aftermath ever since.

Finally, at the end of this October, NASA completed its investigation of the accident and released an executive summary. Like the company's own investigation, the NASA report cited a problem with the rocket's aging Russian AJ-26 engine. As part of that report, NASA also released its own detailed photos of the accident, shown in the gallery below. They offer an unprecedented view of the rocket failing and falling catastrophically back to the spaceport on Virginia's Wallops Island.

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA/Joel Kowsky

The company, with mixed success, has tried to move on. Orbital is working to incorporate a different engine, the RD-181, to provide the thrust for its Antares rocket. Tests of this new rocket could occur early in 2016, the company said.

However, Orbital can't afford to wait for the rocket re-build. During the accident, its Cygnus 3 spacecraft, carrying 5,057 pounds of pressurized cargo for astronauts aboard the International Space Station, was lost. It was Orbital's third supply mission to the station, NASA paid for eight. Now to fulfill its obligations, Orbital has contracted with a competitor, United Launch Alliance, for a rocket to deliver its next resupply mission. That launch is scheduled for December 3 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA will be watching closely. A second round of commercial resupply contracts is on offer, and Orbital is among the bidders, as are SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Boeing. NASA had been set to make a decision on November 5, but it has now delayed that until no later than January 30, according to its procurement website. Boeing said Friday it had been dropped from consideration. For Orbital, success in early December certainly won't hurt its chances.