Officials for Vandenberg Air Force Base and NASA said they experienced “an anomaly” on Feb. 24 when a NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellites failed to reach orbit. Launch officials suspect the satellite likely crashed in the ocean off the coast of Antarctica.
The Taurus XL rocket carrying the satellite launched successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base. However, preliminary investigations indicate that the fairing—a clamshell-shaped structure that surrounds the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere—on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate, launch officials announced in a release to the media.
A mishap investigation board has convened to determine the official cause of the failure.
The first of its kind, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite is designed to study carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere. Measurements collected from the satellite were expected to shed light on the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 5, 2009.
