A rocket carrying a NASA global warming satellite splashed into the ocean near Antarctica yesterday after an early morning launch failure.

The mishap occurred shortly after the Taurus XL rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory blasted off into the pre-dawn sky from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the fairing on the rocket failed to separate several minutes after the 1:55 am (5:55 pm Beijing time) launch. The fairing is a clamshell structure that protects the satellite as it leaves the atmosphere.