VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory and its Taurus booster lift off Feb. 24 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 4:55 a.m. EST. A contingency was declared a few minutes later and the satellite failed to reach orbit after liftoff. 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 is being set up to determine the cause of the launch failure. Photo courtesy of Orbital Sciences