Posted: Sat, Jun 22, 2013, 10:39 AM ET (1439 GMT)
A commercial sounding rocket launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico on Friday, carrying a variety of payloads on a mission supported by NASA. The SpaceLoft XL rocket, built by UP Aerospace, lifted off from the spaceport at 9:57 am EDT (1357 GMT) and flew to an altitude of 119 kilometers before parachuting back to Earth for recovery 37.8 kilometers downrange. The flight, sponsored by NASA's Flight Opportunities program, carried several experiments, including an ADS-B tracker for the FAA and student payloads from the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. The privately-operated rocket also carries some commercial payloads.

Related Links:

•  NBCNews.com article
•  Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News article
•  Albuquerque Journal article
•  KRWG-FM Las Cruces (N.M.) article