The core stage continued flying for some distance until crashing into a salt lake about two kilometers from the pad. Considerable damage to launch facilities resulted from this mishap. Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempted circumlunar imagery mission.
After flying for some distance, the core stage crashed near a salt lake, roughly two kilometers away from the launch pad. This mishap caused substantial damage to the launch facilities. Prior to releasing details of its mission, NASA correctly identified that it was attempting a circumlunar imaging operation.