NASA investigates failed rocket launch

Washington -- The U.S. space agency and Alliant Tech Systems Inc. said they have started an investigation into the failed launch of a suborbital rocket.

The rocket, which lifted off from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, was carrying two NASA hypersonic experiments.

Liftoff occurred at 5:10 a.m. EDT Friday and the anomaly that forced launch safety officers to destroy the rocket occurred approximately 27 seconds later. No injuries or property damage were reported, with most of the debris falling into the Atlantic Ocean.

"NASA is very disappointed in this failure but has directed its focus on protecting public safety and conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify the root cause," the space agency said in a statement. "NASA is assembling a multidiscipline team … to begin the investigation promptly."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.