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A rocket carrying a NASA global warming satellite has crashed into the ocean near Antarctica after a failed launch.
NASA said it would convene a team of experts to investigate the loss of the satellite.
Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Director, said that a preliminary investigation found that a cover protecting the satellite during launch failed to separate from the rocket.
"At that point, seven seconds after stage two ignition, we expected to see fairing separation. We had indications that the sequence was sent, but shortly after that, we started getting indications that the fairing did not indeed separate."
The Taurus XL rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory blasted off on Tuesday from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The 447-kilogram satellite was supposed to be placed into an orbit some 650 kilometres high to track carbon dioxide emissions.
The observatory was NASA's first satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide on a global scale.
