UPDATE 05.01.07: Our video report from the Friday memorial in Alamagordo has been posted on this page; see fourth item on the left.

SPACEPORT AMERICA, N.M., April 28, 2007 — At 8:58 a.m. MDT this morning, a rocket carrying the cremated remains of James Montgomery Doohan lifted off and achieved space a few minutes later, reaching an apogee (maximum altitude) of 72.7 miles.

The launch took place out of Spaceport America in New Mexico, near White Sands Missile Range, and was arranged by Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, a subsidiary of Space Services Inc.

John Meredyth Lucas, an Original Series writer/director/producer who died in 2002, was also part of the mission, called "The Legacy Flight."

Doohan's widow, Wende, personally pushed the launch button which fired the rocket. She was joined by Suzan Cooper, widow of astronaut Gordon Cooper, another Legacy Flight honoree.

Also attending the launch was Lucas' daughter, Victoria Lucas of Tucson, Arizona.

Hundreds of spectators watched from a VIP viewing area about three miles from the launch site, deep in the New Mexico desert. Those spectators mostly consisted of families of the 202 participants being memorialized on the flight, but also included hordes of press from around the world — including STARTREK.COM — eager to report on the fact that "Scotty" has finally "beamed up" into the "final frontier" nearly two years after his death. (See the CBS News link below for one such report. Also see the video reports by Bob Martin from the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque, KRQE News 13.)

The launch was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., though spectators had been thoroughly warned that delays up to six hours could occur, or in the worst case, the mission could be scrubbed altogether. Fortunately, the winds were not too high, and impending thunderstorms in the area stayed at bay. The only reason there was any delay was that unauthorized personnel were spotted within the "hazard zone" and had to be evacuated.

This flight was an "Earth-Return" mission, meaning the payload containing the ashes of the deceased was intended to achieve an altitude of about 70 miles — reaching a weightless environment — and then arc back down and parachute safely to Earth for recovery.

There was a glitch in the telemetry tracking on the rocket during the flight, but radar at White Sands Missile Range confirmed that the vehicle did indeed reach space.

After the flight, Jerry Larson, president of UP Aerospace — the manufacturer of the rocket — reported that the vehicle exceeded altitude expectations, and that the payload landed precisely where intended. Specific details are pending.

UPDATE 05.10.07: Nearly two weeks later, the search is still on for the payload. Recovery efforts have been hampered by severe weather (including tornadoes) as well as the rugged terrain of the target zone at White Sands. According to science writer Leonard David in a LiveScience.com blog, UP Aerospace knows the general location of the rocket hardware within some 1,300 feet, but pinpointing the exact spot has proven difficult — in part because the terrain reflects directional signals. The search will continue next week. See David's latest blog updates at this link and this link.

This is the very first successful launch into space at Spaceport America, a nascent commercial facility that will serve as headquarters to Virgin Galactic in about three years.

"This launch has christened Spaceport America," said Rick Homans, the new director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, in a press release handed out on site. "Today is all about entrepreneurs blazing a commercial path into space."

This launch which carried Doohan into space took place exactly 10 years and one week after Celestis held their inaugural flight, which contained the ashes of Gene Roddenberry.

We will bring you complete coverage of the two-day event — the Friday memorial service and the Saturday launch — with more video and photos, so stayed tuned.

To see other angles of the launch not afforded to the press, visit the UP Aerospace website listed below.