It was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the box of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to come off during launch.

Designed to operate for eighteen to twenty four months, it was lost in a launch failure in March 2011 after the Taurus rocket carrying it failed to achieve orbit.

It was the second consecutive failure of a Taurus rocket, following the loss of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory in 2009.

The Taurus rocket went into service in 1994 and has put 10 satellites into orbit.

The Taurus rocket also carried three small CubeSat satellites built by university students in Montana, Colorado and Kentucky.

The Taurus rocket is able to carry a payload of around 1,350 kg into a low Earth orbit.

The first stage is a Castor 120, which is also used on some versions of the Taurus rocket.

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a Taurus rocket.

The first and second stages are Castor 120s, which are also used on some versions of the Taurus rocket.

Orbital Sciences Corporation now launches their Taurus rockets from 576-E.