Feb 10 2000
From The Space Library
In a much-anticipated launch, the Astro-E satellite lifted off aboard an M-5 rocket from the [[Kagoshima Space Center] on the Japanese island of Kyushu. However, soon after launch, Astro-E was lost when the rocket suffered a "control system breakdown," propelling the satellite into a lower orbit than planned. U.S. officials monitoring the launch determined that the satellite had most likely burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Astro-E, the product of a joint venture between the United States and Japan, carried new x-ray-sensing equipment, which scientists had hoped would further illuminate the material surrounding black holes. Scientists had designed the new equipment to sense minute changes in the heat of single protons. The specialists overseeing the launch and mission had hoped that Astro-E would orbit and gather data for five years. The satellite had cost more than US$ 100 million to develop.
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