NASA Earth-Observation Satellite Fails to Reach Orbit After Rocket Failure

March 4, 2011 -- The protective shell atop a rocket launched by NASA failed to separate as planned three minutes after takeoff, preventing an Earth-observation satellite aboard the rocket from reaching orbit. The Glory satellite, which would have collected data on airborne particles that affect climate, shared the same fate as another NASA climate-monitoring satellite whose rocket launch failed two years ago. A 2007 National Research Council report recommended that the U.S. renew its commitment to observing Earth from space, in particular to enhance understanding of climate change.

Other reports of interest:

Earth Science and Applications from Space: Urgent Needs and Opportunities to Serve the Nation

Satellite Observations to Benefit Science and Society: Recommended Missions for the Next Decade

Ensuring the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft: Elements of a Strategy to Recover Measurement Capabilities Lost in Program Restructuring

Earth Observations from Space: The First 50 Years of Scientific Achievements