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\"It was unsuccessful, and he passed away,\" Waldo Stakes, a colleague who was also at the rocket launch, told AP.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed the incident in a statement.

“A man was pronounced deceased after the rocket crashed in the open desert during a rocket launch event. Medical aid was staged for the launch and was on scene immediately,” read the statement. “Sheriff’s Aviation and Specialized Investigators have responded to conduct the investigation.”

This was not Hughes’ first launch. Hughes, who believed the Earth is flat, propelled himself about 1,875 feet into the air before a hard landing in the Mojave Desert in March of 2018.

\"My story really is incredible,\" Hughes told the AP at the time. \"It's got a bunch of story lines -- the garage-built thing. I'm an older guy. It's out in the middle of nowhere, plus the Flat Earth. The problem is it brings out all the nuts also, people questioning everything. It's the downside of all this.\"

According to ABC News’ Houston station KTRK, the rocket launch was intended to be one of three featured in a new Science Channel series, \"Homemade Astronauts,\" which was chronicling the story of self-financed teams \"in their cosmic quest to explore the final frontier on limited budgets.\" The steam powered rocket was supposed to launch Hughes 5,000 feet into the air.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time,” said the Science Channel. “It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey.”

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