LOS ANGELES -- A nine-story rocket carrying an Earth-observation satellite dubbed Glory failed to reach orbit and likely fell into the South Pacific Ocean following its launch Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
In a statement, NASA said that the protective shell perched atop the rocket did not separate and the satellite did not enter orbit, which should have occurred about three minutes after the launch.
NASA said the entire cost of the mission was $424 million.
It is the second consecutive time that NASA has encountered the problem with the rocket,
