A billionaire's rocket. A dangerous truth. Three kids who know too much.

When Sam, Derek, and Caitlin witness something they shouldn't at a high-stakes rocket launch at Virginia's Wallops Island Space Center, they stumble into a deadly conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the space industry. A tech billionaire's hidden agenda, unexplained drone sightings along Virginia's Eastern Shore, and a brilliant engineer's mysterious disappearance all point to one chilling conclusion: someone will do anything to keep their secrets buried.

As the young detectives dig deeper-from NASA's historic Langley Research Center to the corridors of power in Washington-they uncover a web of deception that puts their own lives at risk. With help from a determined investigative reporter, they race to expose the truth about the Helios rocket program before it's too late. But powerful forces are watching their every move, and the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous their pursuit becomes.

The twelfth installment in The Virginia Mysteries series, Conspiracy at the Launch sends readers into a heart-pounding adventure where cutting-edge technology meets old-fashioned detective work. Perfect for young readers who love solving mysteries while exploring real places and events in America's space program.

Also by Steven K. Smith:

The Virginia Mysteries Series

Book 1 - Summer of the Woods

Book 2 - Mystery on Church Hill

Book 3 - Ghosts of Belle Isle

Book 4 - Secret of the Staircase

Book 5 - Midnight at the Mansion

Book 6 - Shadows at Jamestown

Book 7 - Spies at Mount Vernon

Book 8 - Escape from Monticello

Book 9 - Pictures at the Protest

Book 10 - Pirates on the Bay

Book 11 - Danger on the Stage

​​​​​​​Book 12 - Conspiracy at the Launch

Brother Wars Series

Brother Wars

Cabin Eleven

The Big Apple

Final Kingdom Trilogy (Ages 10+)

The Missing

The Recruit

The Bridge