SpaceX launches — and loses — first rocket
March 24, 2006 
After four years of work, three launch delays and $100 million in dot-com cash, SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket rose from its Pacific launch pad on Friday, but was lost moments later.
Space enthusiasts around the world had looked forward to what SpaceX, also known as Space Exploration Technologies, billed as the world’s first all-new orbital launch vehicle in more than a decade.
The two-stage, partially reusable rocket ascended from a launch complex on Omelek Island in Kwajalein Atoll, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as thousands watched via a Webcast. But moments after its fiery rise from the pad, the Webcast signal was lost. Then, SpaceX reported that the rocket and its satellite were destroyed during the ascent.
SpaceX’s founder and chief executive officer, Elon Musk, said the launch team was still analyzing the problem Friday afternoon. "We had a successful liftoff and Falcon made it well clear of the launch pad, but unfortunately the vehicle was lost later in the first-stage burn," Musk reported on the SpaceX Web site.
Course never ran smooth
SpaceX’s course has never run totally smooth: Three times before, preparations had to be aborted because of assorted glitches.
The first countdown, last November, was called off with just minutes to go due to a computer problem and a stuck liquid-oxygen valve. The second attempt went awry in December when a fuel tank was dented due to a faulty depressurization valve. The third time, computer glitches encountered during a test countdown forced a delay.
more at MSNBC.
