ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2009) — NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its liftoff on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1:55 a.m. PST from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Preliminary indications are that the fairing on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate. The fairing is a clamshell structure that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere.

A Mishap Investigation Board will be immediately convened to determine the cause of the launch failure.

For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has managed the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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Adapted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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