A sleek new European Space Agency satellite set to launch this year, perhaps as early as February, aims to map out the planet's gravitational field in unprecedented detail. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) will gather data useful for research in oceanography, solid Earth physics, and climate change.
GOCE launch delayed until 2009 The Russian authorities responsible for the Rockot launcher that shall carry ESA's GOCE Earth Explorer satellite into orbit have completed the investigation of a failure in the guidance and navigation system of the launcher's Upper Stage (Breeze KM). The anomaly was discovered during the spacecraft's launch preparation tests on 7 September 2008 in Plesetsk, which subsequently led to the postponement of the launch.
Goce gravity flight slips to 2009 Europe's gravity mission has been bumped to next year because of ongoing technical problems with its launcher. The arrow-shaped Goce satellite will map tiny variations in the pull of gravity experienced across the world.
ESA and European industries have updated the planning of the preparatory activities for a new tentative launch date of 27 October 2008 for the GOCE satellite.
ESA and European industries have updated the planning of the preparatory activities for a new tentative launch date of 27 October 2008 for the GOCE satellite. On 7 September, preparatory activities for the launch of GOCE from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia were stopped by Eurockot due to an anomaly identified in one of the units of the guidance and navigation subsystem of the launcher's Upper Stage Breeze KM.
"Taking into account the duration of the refurbishment operations and the re-mating of the adaptor system, satellite and fairing, the launch has been currently rescheduled for 5 October at the same time (16:21 CEST). The satellite and its mission will not be affected by this launch delay."
According to the Khrunichev State Research and Production Centre the launch of the GOCE satellite aboard a Rockot launch vehicle has been rescheduled to a later date. The delay is due to the replacement of a faulty guidance and navigation subsystem of the launcher's Breeze KM upper stage. A new launch date will be announced shortly.
As preparations for the launch of GOCE on 10 September continue on schedule, an important milestone has just been achieved as engineers at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia say farewell to the satellite as it is encapsulated in the two half-shells of the launcher's fairing.
GOCE Earth explorer satellite to look at the Earths surface and core The European Space Agency is about to launch the most sophisticated mission ever to investigate the Earths gravitational field and to map the reference shape of our planet the geoid - with unprecedented resolution and accuracy.