The first launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico has failed to reach sub-orbital space and landed in the desert. The Space XL rocket, launched by Connecticut's UP Aerospace, lifted off at 2:14 p.m. Monday but only made it to an altitude of 40,000 ft before coming back down to Earth several miles from the planned landing site, the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun News reported Tuesday.
The rocket reportedly corkscrewed only seconds after the launch, and disappeared from sight while trailing a line of smoke. Lonnie Sumpter, launch director and executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, at that point announced that the rocket had encountered "an anomaly," the Sun News said.
However, the company described the experience a success.
"UP Aerospace proved its business model," Bill Heiden, the company's chief financial officer, told the newspaper. "We proved our relationships with our partners, we inaugurated the spaceport today (Monday)."
