Private Space Flight Failure

Sad.

After a year-long series of delays and last-minute aborts, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) finally launched its Falcon 1 rocket at 1:10 pm local time on a demonstration test flight, but about three minutes into the flight, the mission control lost its charge, and the rocket failed to reach the intended orbit.

The privately-funded, 70-foot long, 2-stage rocket, powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene, lifted off from Omelek island in the Kwajalein Atoll, a republic Marshall Islands, where SpaceX has launch facilities at 6:10 Pacific Daylight Time (9:10 Eastern Daylight Time / 0110 Greenwich Mean time).

The first stage engine, which had experienced a shutdown on the launch pad earlier tonight, because of low chamber pressure readings, powered the rocket skyward for nearly three minutes. The spent stage then separated for a planned parachute-aided splashdown in the ocean for recovery. The second stage ignited and the rocket's nose cone jettisoned as the ascent continued.

About two minutes into the second stage firing, the rocketship had reached an altitude of 161 kilometers (about 100 miles). One minute later, telemetry was lost, and the live webcast provided by the company stopped. The last bit of video seen from a camera mounted on the second stage showed, according to reports, what appeared to be some oscillations just before telemetry was lost.

A little strange that they used one of the atolls that was used for nuclear tests.