A Nasa sounding rocket - launched to study the intergalactic medium pervading the dark voids between galaxies in our universe - failed to collect any data due to a possible glitch in its attitude control system.
The Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment (DEUCE) was launched on October 30, from New Mexico.
The Black Brant IX sounding rocket performed nominally, Nasa said.
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"However, science data was not obtained because of a possible issue with the attitude control system. The payload descended by parachute and was recovered. The Sounding Rocket Program Office is investigating the anomaly," the US space agency said in a statement.
The sounding rocket was supposed to complete a fifteen- minute flight. It was equipped with special ultraviolet optics, which would have helped shed light on the nature of intergalactic medium (IGM).
Spread out over unfathomable distances, IGM is a cold, diffuse gas between galaxies that hardly emits any light, making it difficult to study.
The DEUCE was to measure starlight from a pair of nearby hot stars in the constellation Canis Major, aiming to help researchers understand how the IGM got to its current state.
