ESA Cryosat Launch Reported Failure 277
hptux06 writes "Earlier today the ESA lauched their "Cryosat" satellite, designed to monitor ice levels across the Arctic/Antarctic. It's being reported a failure, disappearing 90 minutes after the launch. It cost £90M (160M US$) to build, and was supposed to spend three years determining the effects of global warming." From the article: "The satellite rode into space on a Rockot vehicle, a converted SS-19 intercontinental ballistic missile. The rocket, which in the Cold War would have been armed with nuclear weapons, had been modified for peaceful space duties with the addition of a Breeze-KM upper stage. Dr Matthias Oehm, chief executive officer of Eurockot, said they had not received the expected signals from either the spacecraft or the upper stage of the rocket that should have injected it into orbit. "
Further info here... (Score:5, Informative)
Looks like it was another controller foulup that stopped a command from being issued to shut down stage 1 and seperate the upper stack, and causing a reentry of the entire package.
confirmed lost in arctic ocean (Score:5, Informative)
Video of the explosion. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Video of the explosion. (Score:2, Informative)
the US already has an ice observing satellite (Score:3, Informative)
It has been operational since January 2003.
Re:Hardware or software? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:It's a conspiracy... (Score:3, Informative)