NASA Global Warming Probe Launch Fails, Crashes into Pacific

NASA’s $278-million Orbiting Carbon Observatory failed to reach orbit after its launch from Vandenburg Airforce Base this morning.

The satellite would have been the first American effort to track global warming emissions from space. Japan launched a similar spacecraft last month.

“Certainly for the science community it’s a huge disappointment,” said John Brunschwyler, project manager for Orbital Sciences, which built 986-pound satellite. “It’s taken so long to get here.”

Once in orbit, the satellite was going to gather data on the greenhouse gases found in the atmosphere and determine the source of those gases. The data from the satellite would have been the most comprehensive and accurate ever collected.

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