NASA Taps Orbital for Second 0C0 Launch

摘要

NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp. to launch the agency's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) replacement satellite aboard a Taurus XL rocket, giving the company a second chance after the original spacecraft was lost in a February 2009 failure involving the same launch vehicle.rnThat failure occurred after the vehicle's protective shroud failed to separate properly, and the satellite went crashing into the ocean near Antarctica. Company officials later attributed the problem to a defective component and said it would be relatively easy to fix.