Gone, Gone and Gone, Falcon 1 Destroyed on Launch

The much ambitious launch of a low cost rocket, Falcon 1 by the privately owned Space Exploration Technologies Corp., could not make it. The Falcon I rocket, which was designed to sharply cut the cost of sending satellites into orbit, cleared the launch pad on Omelek Island and flew normally for about a minute but did not reach orbit, said a spokeswoman for the rocket developer, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. The company did not say whether the rocket exploded or plunged into the sea.

"We had a successful liftoff, and Falcon made it well clear of the launch pad, but unfortunately the vehicle was lost later in the first-stage burn," company founder Elon Musk said in an e-mail from the Marshall Islands.

The rocket carried FalconSat-2, part of an Air Force Academy satellite program intended to measure space plasma phenomena that can interfere with communications through space.

The first launch was initially planned to be conducted at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., but a scheduling conflict with another mission there forced it to be moved to a launch facility on the Pacific atoll.

Initial speculation immediately after Friday’s malfunction wondered if a thermal coat wrapped around the first stage liquid oxygen tank that was supposed to separate at liftoff could have contributed to the mishap. Launch video showed the jacket ripping apart as the rocket climbed into the sky.

"It does not appear as though the first stage insulation played a negative role, nor are any other vehicle anomalies apparent from either the telemetry or imaging. Falcon was executing perfectly on all fronts until fire impaired the first stage pneumatic system," Musk said.

"The good news is that all vehicle systems, including the main engine, thrust vector control, structures, avionics, software, guidance algorithm, etc. were picture perfect. Falcon’s trajectory was within 0.2 degrees of nominal during powered flight," he added.