Fuse thwarts Danish space launch

Two Danish space enthusiasts failed in their first attempt to launch a privately built rocket. Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengtson had hoped to send the nine-metre-long rocket 18.6 miles into the sky from a barge near the island of Bornholm. Their spokeswoman, Sophie Dalgaard, said a fuse problem had prevented the launch, but that they would try again. They have permission to launch the 1.6-tonne prototype from a military test zone until 13 September as part of the €50,000 (£41,770) Danish project. It is the first step towards their dream of flying to the edge of space, 62 miles above sea level.