spacetoday.net: OCO launch fails

Updated: Tue, Feb 24, 2009, 2:56 PM ET (1956 GMT)
Originally Posted: Tue, Feb 24, 2009, 6:49 AM ET (1149 GMT)
Taurus XL launch of OCO (NASA)

The launch of a satellite designed to monitor carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere apparently failed early Tuesday when the rocket's payload fairing failed to separate properly. The Taurus XL lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 4:55 am EST (0955 GMT) after a brief delay caused by a range safety issue. The launch initially appeared to go normally, but officials declared a "contingency" about 13 minutes after launch. According to NASA officials, the rocket's payload fairing failed to separate during ascent, preventing the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) spacecraft from reaching orbit. OCO came down in the far southern Pacific, near the coast of Antarctica, NASA estimated. OCO, built by Orbital Sciences, was designed to track the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to better understand the role the greenhouse gas plays in the Earth's climate.