The Vanguard TV3 launch failure was NASA's first launch failure. The launch took place on December 6, 1957, just three weeks after the Soviet Union had successfully launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Vanguard TV3 was intended to be the third test flight of the Vanguard rocket, and it was carrying a small satellite called the Vanguard 1. However, the rocket exploded about two seconds after liftoff, destroying the satellite and sending debris raining down on the launch pad. The failure was a major setback for the United States, which had been hoping to catch up to the Soviet Union in the space race.