US: NASA global warming satellite lands in ocean
25 Feb 2009 12:47 AM
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California, Feb 24 AP - A rocket carrying a NASA global warming satellite has landed in the ocean near Antarctica after an early morning launch failure.
The mishap occurred on Tuesday after the Taurus XL rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory blasted off into the pre-dawn sky from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Several minutes later, launch managers said the payload fairing, which shelters the satellite, apparently failed to separate from the launch vehicle.
An official with Orbital Sciences Corp, the rocket's maker, said the rocket splashed into the ocean.
