CryoSat-2 Launch Delayed
Russian launch provider Kosmotras has postponed the launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) CryoSat-2 satellite due to technical issues with the Dnepr rocket‚s second stage steering engine, ESA announced Feb. 19.
Yuzhnoye, the Ukrainian manufacturer of the Dnepr, said insufficient fuel reserves for the second stage engine would require additional review and safety measures. The launch, originally scheduled for Feb. 25 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, has yet to be rescheduled.
The ESA CyroSat-2 is designed to fly at a highly inclined polar orbit, reaching latitudes of 88 degree north and south, in order to monitor changes in the thickness of sea ice and variations in the thickness of the ice sheets on land.
