Failed launch dumps NASA climate satellite into ocean

— -- A NASA satellite that would have helped solve a key global-warming mystery sank into Antarctic seas Tuesday after the rocket taking it to orbit was dragged down by too much weight.

At first, the launch of the satellite, which was designed to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, seemed to unfold as planned. A few minutes after the 1:55 a.m. PT liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, data showed that a protective cover over the satellite did not peel away as it was supposed to, said Chuck Dovale, NASA's launch director for the mission.

The cover — or fairing — added so much extra weight that the rocket carrying the satellite could not make it to orbit, said John Brunschwyler of Orbital Sciences Corp., which built the rocket and satellite. It splashed into the ocean.

"It's devastating for NASA," said Daniel Jacob, an atmospheric scientist at Harvard University. "This was a really big investment."

The Taurus rocket that failed Tuesday was also scheduled to carry a second satellite into space later this year to conduct global-warming research. The launch of the Glory satellite, which would measure particles in the Earth's atmosphere and sunlight, will be delayed until NASA understands Tuesday's mishap, Dovale said.

The loss of the phone-booth-size satellite, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, cost NASA $278 million, although that included the estimated cost of operating it for two years. It was $33 million over budget because of problems with its main scientific instrument, according to NASA budget documents.

The federal government, unlike private companies, does not normally insure its satellites, said space analyst Jeff Foust of the Futron Corporation, a technology consulting firm. Asked whether the spacecraft was insured, NASA spokesman John Yembrick said the agency is looking into the incident and the terms of the contract with Orbital Sciences.

The observatory was meant to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide worldwide. Carbon dioxide gas is produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and is one of the most prominent greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.