Posted: Mon, Jan 15, 2007, 7:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)
A new reconnaissance satellite launched a month ago has apparently malfunctioned in orbit and may be a total loss, Reuters reported. Government officials told the news agency that a new satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) had suffered a "comprehensive failure" involving multiple systems, and that communications with the spacecraft had yet to be restored. The spacecraft was not identified by Defense Department officials, but is believed to be NRO L-21, a spacecraft launched December 14th by a Delta 2 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The spacecraft had remained in a 375-kilometer orbit since its launch, puzzling satellite observers since the spacecraft did not appear to be part of any existing satellite system.

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•  Reuters article