Rocket launches from Spaceport

UPHAM, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico Spaceport Authority officials say a rocket has successfully launched from the desert outpost. The advanced rocket designed and built by Armadillo Aerospace launched into space last weekend.

The Las Cruces Sun-News ( http:// bit.ly/rtEpE7 ) reports the test flight was a non-public event at the request of Armadillo Aerospace as the company continues testing re-useable rockets.

A vice president at Armadillo Aerospace says the flight successfully demonstrated many of the technologies needed for the manned suborbital program by reaching a projected suborbital altitude of 137,500 feet.

Armadillo Aerospace is developing reusable rocket-powered vehicles and plans to provide a platform for civilian access to suborbital space via its partnership with Space Adventures, Ltd.

The vehicle also carried an onboard scientific payload. The experiment studied a liquid and gas flow process that is sensitive to the gravity and acceleration levels encountered during spaceflight.