Nasa's £160million 'global warming' satellite falls short of orbit following major fault | Mail Online

A £280million Nasa satellite designed to measure climate suffered severe technical difficulties shortly after launch this morning.

The so-called 'Orbiting Carbon Observatory' failed to reach its proper orbit when it did not separate from the giant rocket which carried it into space.

Scientists had hoped to map the global distribution of carbon dioxide using the satellite. It is not known whether the mission will be saved.

First NASA CO2 Satellite Set for Launch | AVIATION WEEK

OCO is part of NASA's Science Pathfinder program of relatively quick, low-cost and highly focused missions using small- or medium-sized spacecraft. The total mission cost is $273.4 million and it has a nominal two-year life span.