New Mexico Space Port - 1st Launch and Crash:
New Mexico Museum of Space History
Year: 2006
Mint/Issuer: NMMSH
Mintage: 50
Additional Information:
The first launch was made at 2:14 p.m. local time (20:14 UTC) on September 25, 2006, from Spaceport America, in Upham, New Mexico. During its maiden flight, it experienced an "unexpected aerodynamic effect" and crashed in the New Mexico desert after reaching only 40,000 feet (12 km). The rocket was lost in the desert for a full week before being found. Among the payload of the SpaceLoft XL rocket were these coins. ZG Aerospace recovered all the items they could from the ZGS-1 capsule and each coin displays its own unique warping and disfigurement, stamping the story of SL-1’s flight indelibly on their front and back.
