According to information from a variety of sources, NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) failed to reach orbit after its launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California early this morning. NASA noted in a statement that a protective clamshell covering the satellite on the unmanned Taurus rocket failed to separate. The extra weight of this covering kept the satellite from reaching orbit and it crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Antarctica.
There was no immediate information on possible causes outside of the lack of separation of the covering.
Orbital Sciences Corporation, who designed and built the rocket, was awarded a $1.9 billion contract by NASA in December to fly eight resupply missions to the International Space Station.
The $278-million, 192-pound satellite was destined to help with a critical data gap in our study of climate change by identifying where carbon dioxide is being absorbed on Earth. The information the satellite would have provided could have been beneficial in guiding future climate change mitigation strategies.
I could find no information on if a new OCO would be undertaken. You can find information about his from NASA at https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/feb/HQ_09-039_OCO_failure.html
-Brian-
