March 4, 2011

George H Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 george h diller@nasa gov

Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen e cole@nasa gov

RELEASE: 11-065

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

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