NASA Creates Glory Satellite Mishap Investigation Board
WASHINGTON -- NASA's Glory mission ended Friday after the spacecraft failed to reach orbit following its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.NASA has begun the process of creating a Mishap Investigation Board to evaluate the cause of the failure. Telemetry indicated the fairing, a protective shell atop the satellite's Taurus XL rocket, did not separate as expected.
The launch proceeded as planned from its liftoff at 5:09 a.m. EST
through the ignition of the Taurus XL's second stage. However, the
fairing failure occurred during the second stage engine burn. It is
likely the spacecraft fell into the South Pacific, although the exact
location is not yet known.
NASA's previous launch attempt of an Earth science spacecraft, the
Orbiting Carbon Observatory onboard a Taurus XL on Feb. 24, 2009,
also failed to reach orbit when the fairing did not separate.
NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory Mishap Investigation Board reviewed
launch data and the fairing separation system design, and developed a
corrective action plan. The plan was implemented by Taurus XL
manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation. In October 2010, NASA's
Flight Planning Board confirmed the successful closure of the
corrective actions.
The Glory Earth-observing satellite was intended to improve our
understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called
aerosols affect Earth's climate.
Source: NASA
