The maiden flight of a small commercial rocket carrying more than 50 student experiments has ended in disappointment.
SpaceLoft XL, built by Colorado-based UP Aerospace, was designed to provide inexpensive access to suborbital space, which begins at an altitude of 100 kilometres. The 6.5-metre rocket lifted off on Monday from Spaceport America in Sierra county, New Mexico, at 2.14 pm local time and reached 12 kilometres before it veered off course and crashed. It was meant to fly to an altitude of 110 kilometres before returning to Earth.
“UP Aerospace has recovered the rocket and hopes to find the cause of the problem”…
