Europe ice satellite feared lost

[FLO]

Mission control is growing increasingly concerned about the fate of Europe's ice monitoring spacecraft, Cryosat.

The £90m (135m euro) satellite was launched at 1902 local time (1602 BST) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. It was due to make a circuit of Earth before separating from the upper stage of the rocket 90 minutes after launch. But mission controllers have failed to receive the signal from the spacecraft indicating the procedure was a success.

Volker Liebig, director of Earth Observation Programmes at the European Space Agency, said it did not mean the mission was lost but it raised concerns among all the teams involved.

http://tinyurl.com/85v2g

[GazOC]

Sounds like a failed mission to me.

[OXO]

It's landed in the Sea http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4323378.stm

[OXO]