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Space

Students search desert for lost rocket after attempted launch to space

Volunteers are scouring the Mojave desert in California for a missing rocket and the onboard data that will prove whether it successfully reached space or not

By Matthew Sparkes

29 September 2023

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The Aurora rocket launched in the Mojave desert on 24 September

Karman Space Programme

A team of students from Imperial College London is in limbo after losing the £150,000 rocket they launched towards space on 24 September. Volunteers are scouring the Mojave desert in California for evidence that will establish whether the mission was successful or not.

The Karman Space Programme (KSP) was founded by students two years ago with the aim of breaking through the Kármán line, 100 kilometres above Earth’s surface, which is widely recognised as the edge of space.…

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