In what happens to be the second straight setback to NASA’s weakened environmental monitoring program, Taurus XL rocket carrying the space agency’s ‘Glory’ Earth-observation satellite plummeted into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, after its failed take-off attempt from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The rocket took off at 2:09:43 a. m. PT, and crashed into the South Pacific nearly three minutes later.

The ‘Glory’ satellite was hauling two sensors – one of which was intended for investigating the atmosphere’s aerosols, that is, particulates like soot; and the other for measuring the amount of solar energy reaching Earth.

As per a NASA statement, the Glory’s mission chiefly was: to understand whether the temperature increase and climate changes are by-products of natural events or whether these changes are a consequence of man-made sources.

The Glory fiasco – with the satellite falling into the sea, a few minutes after launch – was reminiscent of a similar failed attempt pertaining to another climate-monitoring satellite, two years back. That satellite was also being carried by the same kind of Taurus rocket, manufactured by the Orbital Sciences Corporation. For NASA, the second successive Taurus XL failure has increased its losses to almost $700 million.

Talking about the ‘Glory’ debacle, Ronald Grabe, an ex-space shuttle commander currently managing Orbital's Launch Systems Group, said: “I think it's not an understatement to say tonight we're all pretty devastated. But we will recover, the team will bounce back because they're all professionals. Orbital Sciences will bounce back with the Taurus vehicle.”