Landsat 5 to be retired
Posted: Sat, Dec 22, 2012, 12:17 PM ET (1717 GMT)
The US Geological Survey (USGS) announced Friday that it plans to decommission the aging Landsat 5 spacecraft in the coming months as a replacement satellite is prepared for launch. Landsat 5 launched in 1984 with a planned design life of three years, but has continued operations after the loss of Landsat 6 in a launch failure in 1993 and technical problems with Landsat 7, launched in 1999. USGS officials said the recent failure of a gyro on Landsat 5 prompted their decision to decommission the spacecraft. A new remote sensing satellite, Landsat 8, also known as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, is scheduled for launch in February. That spacecraft recently arrived at its launch site, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, from the Orbital Sciences Corporation facility in Arizona where it was assembled.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) announced Friday that it plans to decommission the aging Landsat 5 spacecraft in the coming months as a replacement satellite is prepared for launch. Landsat 5 launched in 1984 with a planned design life of three years, but has continued operations after the loss of Landsat 6 in a launch failure in 1993 and technical problems with Landsat 7, launched in 1999. USGS officials said the recent failure of a gyro on Landsat 5 prompted their decision to decommission the spacecraft. A new remote sensing satellite, Landsat 8, also known as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, is scheduled for launch in February. That spacecraft recently arrived at its launch site, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, from the Orbital Sciences Corporation facility in Arizona where it was assembled.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, April 20
Space ISAC Announces UK Global Hub During 40th Annual Space Symposium
Space ISAC — 11:22 am ET (1522 GMT) Outpost Awarded DAF Contract for the AFRL Rocket Cargo Vanguard Program to Advance Deployable Heat Shield Technology for Shipping Container Size Deliveries from Space
Business Wire — 11:18 am ET (1518 GMT) With NASA's Webb, Dying Star's Energetic Display Comes Into Full Focus
STScI — 11:16 am ET (1516 GMT) AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful NS-31 Mission
AIAA — 11:13 am ET (1513 GMT) Evidence of Dark Matter-Free Dwarf Galaxy Challenges Conventional Galaxy Formation Models
Keck Observatory — 11:13 am ET (1513 GMT) |
