Washington, Feb. 24: A US satellite to monitor global carbon dioxide emissions failed to reach orbit on early Tuesday and crashed into the ocean near Antarctica, an official said at a Nasa press conference.
"The vehicle... landed just short of Antarctica in the ocean," annou-nced John Brunsc-hwyler, program director for the Taurus launch rocket at the private company Orbital Scien-ces Corporation.
Nasa said the satellite launched successfully from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Taurus XL rocket, at 1.55 am, but a fatal mission error occurred minutes after liftoff when a clamshell-like fairing that protects the satellite during its ascent failed to separate properly.
The mission was Nasa’s first aboard a Taurus rocket, which debuted in 1994 and has had six successful flights and one failure.
The 986-pound spacecraft was tucked inside a clamshell-like shroud to protect it during the ride into space. But three minutes into the flight, the cover failed to separate as expected, dooming the mission.
Scientists were counting on the new satellite to hone in on how carbon dioxide, suspected of being a trigger of global climate change, is cycling through the planet. "For the science community it’s a huge disappointment," Nasa launch director Chuck Dovale said. The rocket carried hydrazine fuel but Nasa officials said they had no indication that any part of the rocket or satellite posed a threat to anyone.
