OUT OF THIS WORLD : European Satellite in Faulty Orbit
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PARIS — Space scientists struggled today to try to correct the orbit of a $316-million European satellite launched earlier this week after the engine that adjusts its height refused to fire for the third time.
A spokesman for satellite builders Matra said the Hipparcos’s apogee engine had failed this morning. Technicians were working to locate the problem, and another two attempts would be made this weekend.
Hipparcos, the result of 20 years work by the European Space Agency, is designed to measure distance between stars and provide astronomers with invaluable information about the structure of the universe.
An Ariane space rocket launched the satellite into elliptical orbit Tuesday, but to function properly it needs to move into an elliptical orbit well away from Earth’s atmosphere.
A Matra spokesman said that if the apogee engine could not be repaired, a weaker motor meant for minute adjustments to the satellite’s position in space would be activated.
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