The V-2 first stage crashed into the New Mexico desert five minutes after launch 20 mi (32 km) north of its firing site. The WAC Corporal hit the ground 12 minutes after take-off 80 mi (130 km) from its launch pad. So great was its velocity upon impact, higher than any rocket to date, that the wreck was not found for analysis until January 1950.[1]: 257–8