A U.S. Air Force rocket launch in Hawaii failed just minutes after liftoff on Tuesday, sending the Super Strypi plunging back down to Earth.
In a statement to SpaceFlight Now, the U.S. Air Force said, "The ORS-4 mission on an experimental Super Strypi launch vehicle failed in mid-flight shortly after liftoff at 5:45 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (7:45 p.m. PST; 10:45 p.m. EST) today from the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. Additional information will be released as it becomes available."
The University of Hawaii partnered in the launch, which meant to carry a payload of 13 small cube
satellites into space, ABC News reported.
A spectator shot video of the launch, in which the rocket appears to veer off course around the 30-second mark.
SpaceFlight reported that the Super Strypi was "the first flight of an experimental U.S. military rocket designed for low-cost, quick-reaction satellite launches."
"The rocket surpassed the speed of sound in less than 20 seconds, its solid-fueled LEO-46 rocket motor ramping up to 284,000 pounds of thrust to propel the fin-guided rocket south from the Kauai launch site," SpaceFlight Now said.
The University of Hawaii reported that the experimental launch vehicle experienced an anomaly that is being investigated by the U.S. Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space Office.
The rocket carried the university's hyperspectral imager as its main payload, UH said, adding that the university still considered the project a success for its students. About 150 worked on the payload, giving them "real-world aerospace experience in building a sophisticated satellite."
One commenter on the UH story supported the idea of the project's success, writing, "This is a great story of a great learning experience, filled with pride and eagerness as we look forward to more of these progressive partnerships and projects. This project has also been remarkable in strengthening campus-campus links across the UH system binding us together, which has ignited excitement for everyone at every level."
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