Rocket Destroyed After Launch

The first of Lockheed Martin’s new commercial rockets was destroyed 2-1/2 minutes after takeoff Tuesday when it began flying erratically.

The $16 million rocket was carrying a privately owned communications satellite that it was going to place in low Earth orbit. The launch had been delayed for three weeks due to a problem with the booster.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Tim Hoffman, a base spokesman, said the rocket parts fell into the ocean.

“We’re still assessing the results and as soon as we know something we’ll let everybody know,” said Jim Graham, a Lockheed Martin spokesman.

The booster’s debut originally was set for July 18 and was pushed back a week because Lockheed Martin was running behind, Graham said. But mechanical problems that arose during tests on the launch pad a day before the July 25 liftoff day forced the additional three-week delay, he said.

The two-stage rocket, powered by solid fuel, was designed by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space in Sunnyvale to place payloads weighing up to 1 ton into low Earth orbit.

The payload was a 300-pound GEMstar communications satellite owned by CTA Inc. of Rockville, Md., and built by CTA Space Systems in McLean, Va. It had been expected to orbit for five years, product manager Richard Chitty said.

The following fields overflowed: DATELINE = VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF.