The Discovery Flight was launched on May
2, 2009 from Spaceport
America in New
Mexico. Launch services were provided by UP
Aerospace aboard a SpaceLoft
XL rocket. The Discovery Flight included
all star names and messages submitted from November
1, 2004 through April 15, 2009. However, an anomaly
occurred during ascent and the spacecraft did not
reach space.
The launch was intended to place our customers'
star names and messages into space on a suborbital
trajectory similar to NASA's early Mercury manned
spaceflights in the 1960s, and to our 2007 mission,
The Legacy Flight.
After flying in space, the rocket's payload -- including
the star names and messages -- was to re-enter the
Earth's atmosphere and parachute to Earth.
