SpaceX accident details thus far

Here's what Space.com is reporting on the accident:

After years of development and no less than three scrubbed attempts, a Falcon 1 rocket roared toward space Friday only to be lost just after liftoff, its SpaceX builders said.

The private launch firm Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launched the two-stage Falcon 1 rocket at 5:30 p.m. EST in a space shot staged from the military's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean's Marshall Islands.

But seconds after ignition, the video from the rocket showed a rolling motion and the feed was lost.

"I did have word that we did lose the vehicle," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX vice president of business development. "Clearly this is a setback, but we're in this for the long haul."

The rocket was expected to deploy the FalconSat-2 satellite built by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The $800,000 spacecraft was designed to study the effect of space plasma on navigation and communications satellites. The U.S. Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are funding the planned spaceflight.

The ill-fated launch marked SpaceX's fourth attempts to loft the first Falcon 1 after glitches prevented three earlier efforts.

FalconSat-2 was a cube-shaped spacecraft that measures 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) per side and weighs about 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms). The Falcon 1 rocket is expected to deliver FalconSat-2 into an orbit about 279 miles (450 kilometers) above Earth.

The rocket's launch was delayed from a planned 4:00 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) launch due to the errant position of SpaceX's first stage booster retrieval ship, which was inside the launch's hazard area. The ship's placement was due to a misunderstanding between SpaceX officials and launch range managers, SpaceX said.