NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory and its Taurus booster liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base. A contingency was declared a few minutes later.
Orbital Sciences Corporation
February 24, 2009
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its 4:55 a.m. EST liftoff Tuesday, February 24, from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its 4:55 a.m. EST liftoff Tuesday, February 24, from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Preliminary indications are that the fairing on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate. The fairing is a clamshell structure that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere.
A mishap investigation board will be immediately convened to determine the cause of the launch failure.
