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Failed launch: Here you can see the space capsule after detaching itself from the launch vehicle using an emergency system
Photo: Blue Origin / AP / dpa
A major incident occurred when a space capsule from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company was launched.
Shortly after the launch of an unmanned capsule with research equipment in the US state of Texas, the launch vehicle fell to the ground on Monday, as the company itself announced.
The capsule itself is undamaged, as it was able to detach itself from its carrier using an emergency system.
According to the Reuters news agency, the incident occurred a little over a minute after take-off at an altitude of more than eight kilometers.
Blue Origin released a short video on Monday showing the capsule separating from the launch vehicle and parachuting to the ground.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA has launched an investigation into the incident.
The FAA said there have been no reports of people being injured or damage caused by the crashed missile.
The now failed launch of the research capsule was the 23rd flight of the New Shepard program, named after the first US citizen in space, the astronaut Alan Shepard.
All previous launches had been uneventful.
So far, 32 people have traveled into space within the program, including Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and former »Star Trek« actor William Shatner.
wit/AFP/Reuters