spacetoday.net: GOCE launch postponed

Posted: Mon, Sep 8, 2008, 8:57 PM ET (0057 GMT)
GOCE illustration (ESA)

The launch of a European Earth sciences satellite has been postponed until next month because of a problem with the launch vehicle. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) spacecraft was scheduled for launch on Wednesday, September 10, but launch preparations at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia were stopped on Sunday when engineers discovered a problem with the guidance and navigation system on the Breeze KM upper stage of the Rockot launcher. The system will have to be replaced, delaying the launch until October 5. The one-ton spacecraft is designed to measure the Earth's gravity field in great detail, allowing Earth scientists to better understand the planet's internal structure as well as surface features ranging from ocean circulation to changes in the polar ice caps.