First Rocket Is Lost by Space Company

[gristy]

First Rocket Is Lost by Space Company

THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 25, 2006

A private venture hailed as the beginning of a new age of cheap and reliable access to space suffered a setback yesterday when its first rocket was lost over the Pacific Ocean about a minute after liftoff.

The rocket, called Falcon, was being launched from Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands by SpaceX, a company that has $200 million in contracts from the Pentagon, foreign governments and private companies to put small payloads in orbit. The company said Falcon was carrying an Air Force satellite.

www.nytimes.com/2006/03/25/national/25rocket.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[mdmc]

1. just a minor setback

we will get there!

[johnfunk]

2. Oopsie!

No need to worry... this privatization thing is GOOD... ignore the debris, all is well...

[merwin]

3. They lost an air force satellite?

Somehow I doubt that. Tinfoil hats everywhere are going to go crazy :-)