The action figure that was launched into space has gone missing after returning to earth.

In celebration of 50 years of Action Man, the original 1966 doll was launched into near space from Leicestershire on Sunday.

It has travelled 19 miles, with its tracker device leading to a Northamptonshire field, but the figure named as Major Tom, had gone.

Chris Hillcox, who runs a near-space photography business, used a crowdfunding website to raise more than £3000 to fund the Mercury 10 mission.

Rob Wisdom, owner of the figure, has offered a reward for the return, as he wants to recover a camera that filmed the flight.

“The sad thing is we won’t get to see what it was like up there as that is all on the camera”, he commented.

The team has launched a #findmajortom campaign on social media, in hope of recovering it.